


Espress-O

by 6_Binx_6



Series: The Daily Grind [1]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Original Work, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst and Romance, Barging in, Cheating Ex Lover, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Complete, Condoms, Embarassment, Emotional Baggage, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fighting, Filming, Fingering, Fluff, Heatbreak, Humor, M/M, Make up sex, Making Out, Movie Night, Oral Sex, Romance, Sappy Ending, Shyness, Slow Burn, Smut, bad break up, media frenzy, real places, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:20:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 34,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6_Binx_6/pseuds/6_Binx_6
Summary: A struggling barista and her best friend end up serving coffee to a film crew and unexpected events take place. Stolen glances, chance encounters, and warm coffee send her on an exciting, overwhelming life change. Is love in the cards? Will her best friend ever stop gushing over his crush? Why the hell is there a picture of her and Chris Pine on the front page!?





	1. Fresh Start

**Author's Note:**

> I've never poked my nose into real person fiction before, so this is a new area for me. Basically, this is the result of watching one too many movies and drinking WAY too much coffee. 
> 
> I've never met any of the actors listed or been on a film set, but this idea just kept popping up in my brain and wouldn't leave well enough alone. So, if this offends or upsets, I'm truly sorry. I love Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in Star Trek and hopefully I do them justice.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!
> 
>   
> **I do not own this picture in any way, shape or form.**  
> 

The sudden loud, harsh beeping startled Del awake. Groaning, she groped for the snooze button trying desperately to silence the wretched alarm. The red glare from it informing her rather cruelly, that it was five in the morning and it was time to get up. After knocking over her glasses and an empty water bottle; she finally managed to shut the damn thing off.

Blessed silence filled the room and Del sighed gratefully. It was already turning out to be a long day, and it hadn't even started yet. The only thing to do now was to get up and face the music. Though, ignoring the world had its perks too.

Nestling down into the covers and pillow, a soft murmur escaped her. She was verbally trying to tell herself to get out of bed, with no success. The quiet of the bedroom slowly started to lull her back to sleep when the alarm went off again, seemingly louder than before.

"Ugh, why?" She grumbled as she brought her fist down on top of the contraption again, aiming for silence and instead accidentally hitting to the radio button.

"This is KRTZ radio, and this is your wake up call!" The disk jockey was peppy and bright and Del wanted to reach through the speaker and slap the woman.

Sitting up and sighing, Del rubbed her face and ran her hands over her pixy haircut she had gotten the day before. It had been to signify a new stage in her life, one without a shitty cheating boyfriend and the shitty problems he brought with him. Today was a new start, and even if she hated mornings, she was going to get her ass up and start this new day right.

Fishing her glasses up off the floor and slipping them on, she finally turned off the alarm part of the clock and left the radio on. Mr. Brightside by The Killers was playing and Del found herself half dancing around her small apartment as she got ready for her work day.

Del looked herself over in the mirror, deciding to opt out of her thick black framed glasses for contacts. She also made a conscious effort to put on mascara and eyeliner, though she wasn't really a makeup type person. Her best friend Stephen had expressed to her that if she was starting over, that meant trying to do more 'little things' which would add up to 'big changes' or some such thing. Del hated to admit it, but she felt a little better when doing them. Like she was a person and not the doormat she'd been in her recent relationship.

The morning grogginess was wearing off as she decided to spike the back of her pixy haircut and smooth the front out. It gave her a sleek look but wasn't overpowering. She'd developed a bit of a chip on her shoulder over the aftermath of her last bad relationship and was trying to figure out who she was again. Del had sworn to herself over a pint of Ben and Jerry's that she wasn't going to date anymore. Ever.

Ever, ever, ever again.

Slipping on her barista uniform, a simple red polo with the name of the coffee shop she worked at, The Daily Grind, a pair of jeans and her shoes; she was ready to go. She turned off the radio, which was now spouting this mornings news of a film crew downtown and how traffic was being detoured. Del shook her head as she grabbed her keys and bag. There had been a big boom in Hollywood lately and for some reason, they decided making movies in downtown Reno was the new 'it' location.

Del made her way out of her apartment, locking the door behind her and down the seven flights of stairs to the street. She was one of the few lucky ones to live only a stone's throw away from her work, which was located on North Virginia Street and nestled between souvenir shops and the smaller casinos. Walking was the only way to go and with downtown traffic being detoured, it was a quick walk, though chilly this early in the morning.

Taking the alleyway behind the coffee shop, she entered through the back door and hung up her bag. Stephen emerged from the stock room with a box of coffee filters in his hands and two long packages of cups resting on top.

"Morning," Del said, grabbing her apron and tying it around her waist. "Looks like today is going to be busy."

"It will either be busy or boring as fuck, but we'll see what the day brings. And by the way," he looked her up and down, a sly grin on his face, "You look good."

Del smiled shyly and nodded, "Thanks."

"See? A little bit goes a long way if I wasn't a gay man I'd jump your bones right here." Stephen gave her his best sexy smirk, making his hazel eyes shimmer and wiggling his eyebrows. Del found herself laughing as she took the two teetering packages of cups off the top of the box.

"I'm sorry," she said still laughing, "the idea of you even trying to attempt that is hysterical."

Stephen grinned and shrugged, "Ah well, it's the thought that counts right?"

They made their way towards the front of the small shop and began the morning routine of getting everything ready. Del noticed that as it started to lighten outside the more people started running around in the street like crazed banshees. When the doors opened, suddenly there was a ton of people spouting off orders left and right.

It was so damn busy Del had a hell of a time keeping everything straight. There were only a few of their regular customers, which were easier to spot, but the rest were obviously all part of the film crew that had blocked off a good chunk of downtown. By the time things started to slow down, both Stephen and Del were sweating and still managing to smile.

The hand full of people left were currently waiting on their orders and Del called the names as she finished them.

"David, you're up!" She set the coffee to go on the counter and made sure to smile at the man as she moved on to the next.

"Chris, you're up!" The man who stepped forward when she called his name looked really familiar as she glanced at him. His dark hair was a little long and fell into blue crystal eyes. His stubbly face made him look kind of rugged, just a touch of grey starting to ghost his jawline as he smiled at her. Del smiled back, still unable to figure out where she knew him from.

"Thanks." He said, still smiling genuinely at her. Del nodded and tilted her head a little, scrambling to try and figure out who he was. He looked so familiar that she was sure she'd seen his face around somewhere, she just couldn't figure out where.

"You're welcome." Del felt her face redden a little as he nodded and saluted her with his cup, giving her a bigger smile in turn. That smile with his rugged look and sharp jawline was just too much this early in the morning. Del was certain she looked like a hot mess and this guy was making her feel like a sack of wet noodles.

Harshly, she reminded herself of her sworn oath to not peruse _any_ relationship.

Brushing it off, she finished the last few orders and soon the coffee shop was empty after the mad rush. Stephen and Del hadn't talked very much during the rush and now they turned to each other laughing.

"Holy shit, that was rough!" Del laughed as she wiped down the counter and started cleaning the espresso machine. Previously she had made a blunder and spilled a cup of hot ass coffee on her pants, she hadn't had time clean herself up or do much more to the floor than put a rag down and wipe it with her feet.

"Hell yeah, it was. I'm surprised you didn't fall over yourself at the end there." Stephen was grinning as he started running the tape on the till.

Del blinked and frowned, "I'm not a newbie, I know how to kick ass on orders."

Stephen snickered and shook his head, blonde, sweat-soaked hair flopping around his ears. "That's not what I meant. I meant when you gave Chris Pine his coffee."


	2. The Ditz & The Queen

Del raised a brow as she continued to clean up her area. "Who?"

"Oh my god! One of the hottest men alive stands in front of you, and you don't even recognize him? Jesus, you've been living under a rock haven't you?" Stephen faked mock surprise, hand on his chest and eyes fluttering. The whole act was very southern debutante and Del found herself laughing.

"No, I don't live under a rock. I don't have a tv anymore remember? Dip-shit saw to that." Del's laughter died at the end of her sentence. She'd lost a lot in her recent move to her current place. Her ex, who she was determined to not say his name, had destroyed a lot of her things when she said she was moving out. She'd caught him cheating on her, for whoever knew how many times now.

In their bed.

In their shower.

On their kitchen table.

And so on...

She'd lost track of how many times she caught him. Or how many times she threatened to leave and he'd beg her to stay. Like the fucking moron she was, she'd forgive him and not leave like she wanted too. This last time though, when she caught him, he was buzzed from whatever he'd been smoking or drinking and was an unapologetic asshole. The girl, who must have been twenty-something to her pathetic thirty-one, laughed.

Del had had enough and when the situation escalated to him breaking her things, she grabbed her bag, a handful of clothes and her mother's locket. Del left and didn't look back. It had taken weeks to scrape enough money together to get a place she could afford within walking distance to work. Sure, she could have ridden the bus or taken a cab, but in Reno, those were expensive luxuries for people who made okay money. She barely made enough to keep her lights on and food in her fridge. Not that starvation wasn't the ultimate crash diet, but she loved food.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Stephen frowned slightly as he closed the drawer and walked over to her. Without warning, he wrapped his long arms around her. His six foot, one inch making her feel small, though she was tall for the average woman.

"Hey, it's fine. You saved me by letting me crash on your couch." Awkwardly, she slipped out of his arms and started to adamantly wipe down the counter once again. Stephen didn't fight her and instead, slipped by her to flip the sign from Open to Closed. Their little coffee shop only stayed open until noon, and it was already passed that. The owner refused to change the hours, even though Stephen assured the old man that they would make more money.

"So," Del cleared her throat a little, trying to sound more upbeat and not the stupid fucking mess she felt like she was, "Chris Pine?"

Stephen laughed and turned back to her, grinning and hazel eyes sparkling. He shook his head as he came back and hopped up on the counter to sit. Del hopped up too on the other side and they sat side by side, each leaning back slightly to see the other better. She may be over thirty, but damnit she wasn't an old maid.

"Seriously, this is the fucking best, you're so damn dense."

Del punched him a little harder in the shoulder than she meant too and Stephen made a huge showing by rubbing the spot and wincing while laughing.

"Stop teasing me Biscuit Boy and spill it."

"Jesus you're rough." He stuck his tongue out at her and grinned. "Okay, remember a few months ago when you came over and we had that Star Trek marathon?"

"Hell yes, I do." She couldn't stop her grin. It was very rare when Stephen and her hung out when she was with her ex. But when they could it was always a treat. Lots of food, home cooked of course by Stephen, and nerdy marathons. The last big one being Star Trek. They watched all of the movies, starting with the originals and working all the way up to the new ones with Stephen's heartthrob, Zachary Quinto.

"Chris Pine was the Captain you ditz. James Kirk."

"No way! That guy didn't look anything like him..."

Del slowly stopped speaking as her brain registered the actor's face with the man who had made her feel like she was a sack of wet noodles. Stephen laughed as the realization dawned on her.

"My god. Seriously, you are a ditz."

Del stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms, mimicking his previous behavior. "Well, I was working. I can't notice things like that. Hell, I already spilled coffee on myself earlier when trying to make Walter's double shot."

She gestured with her hands to her stained pants and apron. Her black shoes were still splattered and she would have to wash them later.

"Besides," she continued, "he's a famous actor. It was probably a relief that a woman wasn't bombarding him to get an autograph."

"Yeah well, if this movie they're making has Zachary in it and he doesn't come and get a cup of coffee during filming, I swear I'll have a freak out session."

"Drama Queen." Del laughed and rolled her eyes as Stephen looked mock offended.

A knock on the glass brought both of their attention to the front where a petite woman with sandy hair was standing. Dressed in jeans and a simple grey t-shirt, she smiled and waved. It was clear by the headset and clipboard in her hands that she was part of the film crew. Del was amazed that they were filming so close to their shop. Why the hell else would she be standing there?

They both hopped off the counter, and Stephen took the liberty of going to the door. Del made her way to the back stock room to grab a few things for the front. A few moments later, Stephen came to the back room, picking up the handle to the crusty old rotary phone that hung on the wall.

"What's going on?"

"Gotta call Peter. Apparently, the crew wants more coffee and they'd like us to deliver it!" He was practically giddy with excitement as he dialed and put the receiver to his ear.

"Wow, that's huge." Del blinked, balancing a few boxes in her hands.

"You bet your sweet ass it is. We are going to be on a film set!"

"Sets are for studios, this is a film _location_. Get your verbiage straight." She laughed as he waved her off and immediately started speaking to the owner, Peter, who had picked up.


	3. A Tour

"What the fuck am I doing here?"

Del whispered to herself as she and Stephen placed a massive amount of to go cups filled with coffee on a long table. She had been right when she thought they were filming close, as it turned out, they had been filming just up the road a little way.

She had no idea what the movie was about, catching various glimpses of flipped over cars behind sections of marked off areas. People were everywhere, gathering here and there, shifting, moving and talking. It was like watching chaos, but it was apparent that it was all controlled and everyone knew what they were doing. It was exciting as it was overwhelming.

"Remember to smile." Stephen poked her in the side lightly as they kept unloading more coffee cups from the carts they had filled with everyone's order.

Del plastered on a nervous smile as she ran her fingers through her hair. Trying to calm herself, she focused on what they were doing. After getting off the phone with Peter, which turned out to be a very pleading and whiny conversation from what she witnessed on Stephen's end; they got back to work making even more coffee. A lot of them were just straight up coffee, while others were special orders with names.

They'd also brought a few cases of bottled water for the cast and crew. Neither of them knew if they needed it, but Nevada was weird when it came to the weather. A nice day could easily turn from the high eighties, to triple digits, to sudden snow in the middle of summer.

While Del was making sure all the names were easily visible, Stephen poked her again causing her to jump.

"Stop that." Keeping her voice low and smile present, she gave him a quick glare.

"You're too stiff. Relax." Stephen grinned at her, like going to take orders of coffee to a film crew was common for them. She rolled her eyes as they finished. The woman with the sandy hair and grey shirt popped up next to them just seconds after placing the last cup down.

"Thank you so much for all of this. I'm sorry that it was so many orders, a lot of the crew was raving about the coffee this morning. I'm really surprised you guys managed to do all this with just the two of you." She was smiling at them both and Del tried to fight past her shyness.

Del was a pretty talkative person, but when dealing with new people she found herself shy and nervous. This whole filming situation just seemed to make it worse and she found herself staring with a stupid smile on her face. Seeing her freeze up, Stephen jumped in and threw his arm around her shoulders.

"We're happy that you love our coffee. Normally we don't do this kind of thing, so this is a real treat for us." Stephen was grinning from ear to ear, practically spewing sparkles as he talked. Taking the woman's attention off of her seemed to make Del feel better and she felt her smile relax a little.

"Well, how would you guys like a tour? I can't promise we'll run into any of the actors, but I can at least show you around. My name is Katie by the way." The woman grinned and shook both their hands as Del's brain tried to catch up. Seriously? A tour with all these people? Wouldn't they get in the way?

While Del was trying to not look like she was going to run away by the sheer wave of nervousness that was taking over, she realized her feet were moving. Stephen was pulling her along by the wrist and their tour guide, Katie, was talking rapidly as she pointed to various things. Stephen was totally engaged in their conversation as Del was pulled along trying to take in everything.

People were rushing about, talking and laughing. Props, equipment, and costumes were shuffled around and periodically she saw cups of their coffee in the hands of the crew. Del smiled at the sight and was drawn back to the conversation when Stephen let out a weird noise of surprise.

"Did you say, Zachary Quinto?!" It was obvious he was trying to keep his composure, but the fangirl within him was just too excited. Del couldn't stop the laugh that left her as she looked at Katie.

"You've done it now."

"Yes, Chris and Zach are both working on this project. I don't think we'll be able to see them," Katie looked over her clipboard, grinning. "But I'm sure we can get you two some autographs or something."

"Oh. My. God! Yes!" Stephen was giddy as a high school girl and Del chuckled. The idea of owning an autographed anything from a couple of famous actors was a weird thought. She half expected to find herself daydreaming in her empty apartment, doomed to come to the realization that this was just some weird fantasy her brain cooked up.

The headset on Katie's head made a noise and she hit the button on the side, listening. After a moment she nodded and grinned at them both as she spoke back, "Sure, no problem. Think we could get a couple of sigs for our coffee champions?"

Stephen and Del exchanged glances, grinning at each other. As far as Del was concerned, just the fact that their coffee was a hit with the crew was enough of a win that she didn't need the autograph. Having their coffee chosen over Starbucks was the best fucking feeling in the world. The headset made a noise again and Katie laughed as she took her hand down from it.

"Alright, looks like we've got an okay on those autographs. You guys are open tomorrow right?"

"Yes, every day of the week except Sundays." Del chuckled as Stephen was doing a small victory dance on the spot.

"Great, I'll have them by then and I'll make sure you get them okay?"

Del nodded as Stephen pulled her into a surprised half hug, "Yes! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm going to get an autograph from Zachary Quinto!"

Katie took down their names and escorted them back through the crowd of people working. It was amazing how much work it took to make a movie and the manpower. Del had a lot more respect for movies in general now. It wasn't just the people on the screen, there were a thousand others who made it a success. Often times she thought when actors gave credit to the crew in interviews and award shows that they were just being nice; clearly they were being genuine.

As they walked back, Del kept looking around as Stephen and Katie chatted. Spotting a pair of bright blue eyes, Del felt herself pause as they locked with hers. There, in between people shuffling around, stood Chris Pine. His hair was disheveled, his face covered in makeup to make him appear dirty and bloody. The shirt he wore was torn a little from what she could see.

He smiled as they continued to stare at each other and Del blinked, looking around her quickly to see if he was looking at someone else. She was pretty damn sure he wasn't looking at her, but when she looked back he was chuckling. His eyes were bright and his smile bloomed bigger showing perfect teeth. He nodded to her as if to say 'Yes, I'm looking at you.'

Heat rushed to her face and Del unconsciously ran her fingers through her short black hair. Not knowing what to do, she gave a little wave before turning and quickly catching back up with Stephen, who was still talking excitedly with Katie. Del's stomach doing flip flops the whole way back.


	4. A Weird, Fantastical Day

The afternoon went quickly after they returned to the shop. Stephen was a jabbering mess and Del made sure to give him a hard time about his man crush. She didn't tell him that Chris Pine had spotted her and they shared a look. Still feeling that it was some kind of weird daydream thing and that she'd finally lost her mind. Seriously, any idea of some 'fated meeting' between the two of them was ridiculous.

She and Stephen parted ways after they closed shop. He'd invited her to come over and go out to the club with him later, but she declined. Clubs weren't really her scene, she couldn't dance to save her life and she didn't drink. Besides, after the weird day that she had, it was probably best to take a walk and clear her head.

After going home, showering and changing out of her coffee saturated clothes to a pair of jean shorts and one of her very few tank tops; she left her apartment again in favor of the city. Even though it was a little hot, people were still hustling around downtown. Staying clear of the film crew and the blocked off areas, Del made her way casually down back alleyways to get to the other side of where they had been filming.

To much of her frustration, every time she tried to get back over to the main street she was met with another blocked off section.

"What the hell? Really?"

Sighing, she leaned up against one of the buildings. This filming crew was starting to get on her nerves. She just wanted to walk around and get her mind clear. Well, at least do something other than stare at the four walls of her apartment. It's not like she had any money to buy anything. Currently, she was saving to buy a table. Some other people who had moved out of her apartment building were kind in giving her their old bed, dresser, and couch. Beyond that, the place was empty. She would have saved for a tv, but they were pricey considering what she made. A table was more practical and if she was dying to watch something, she could always go over to Stephen's place.

Del closed her eyes and tried to think about if it was really worth trying to get around the blocked off area or if she should just go home. Technically, she'd gotten her walk in so, there wasn't really any reason to stay out longer.

"Hey." Said a voice, making Del snap her eyes open as she jumped.

"What?!" Her voice was way too loud and she hid her face behind one of her hands as the blush crept up to her ears. When she first looked, she could have sworn it was Chris Pine. Looking through her fingers proved that the first look had been right.

"Uh...Hi. Um..." Slowly she forced her hand down, trying to get her surprised stupid face to look normal. Del felt her nerves kick in and her stupid mouth started to get tongue-tied. Stupid, stupid, stupid mouth.

The man in question stood on the other side of the wooden barricade sectioning off the alley. He was out of his previous shirt that had been torn and was in a blue shirt that played to his eyes. His hair was still a mess, but it looked like he had attempted to comb it at one point.

"Well, this makes three times today I've seen you." Chris grinned at her and Del ran her hand through her pixy hair cut in a nervous attempt to calm down. Why the fuck had she cut it so short? Somehow it felt like she was standing in a classroom, naked and trying to answer a complicated algebra question.

"Uh, yeah I guess it does... I uh, I hope your coffee was good." Del cringed as she spoke, her voice sounding really high and ridiculous. They looked at each other, Chris's face surprised as he watched her.

A moment later they both started laughing, somehow it felt good. It wasn't the kind of laugh she had very often. It made her whole body warm and light. When they were done, she had tears in her eyes and Chris was grinning at her.

"I'm sorry." Del said, still trying to get her laughter under control, "I think I'm a little star struck or something. This day has been one crazy ass thing after another."

"No problem. I've felt the same way on some of the projects I've worked before." Chris ducked under the wooden barricade and leaned up against the building Del had previously jumped away from. He looked out at the street, which was still bright from the sun. In the alleyway, it was considerably darker and cooler. Del couldn't stop staring at how the light from the street seemed to make his hair glow a little bit around the edges. After a moment, Chris turned and caught her staring and she felt her face flush again.

"Jesus," she muttered, embarrassed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare." She rubbed her cheeks with her hands and Chris chuckled, deep and amused.

"Do you always apologize?"

"I'm sor—." She stopped mid-sentence and she laughed again. "No, I don't. At least I don't think I do. Anyway, what are you doing here? I mean, I don't mean to pry or anything." Del motioned towards the barricade. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Well, I'm actually done for the day. I was thinking about checking out Reno a little bit."

Del blinked, "Really? Well, don't you need like, security or something? I mean, Reno is great but you're going to stick out like a sore thumb."

Chris shrugged and gave her probably the sexiest smirk she'd ever seen in person. It made her heart pick up a bit as she watched him pull a simple baseball cap out of his back pocket and slip it on his head.

"I kind of just wanted to walk around without them. Security can sometimes make people notice me more than just walking around with a hat and sunglasses."

"Oh." Del bit her lip and nodded, if he'd slipped his security it was probably best if she let him go. She was probably drawing attention to him while standing there talking.

"I better let you go then before you get busted." Smiling softly, Del stepped back a little bit to distance herself from him. Chris looked a little surprised, but it was quickly replaced with another smile.

"You want to come with me?"

Del blinked, her brain just broke. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she finally managed to form words as she pointed at herself.

"Who? Me? But..."

"Come on." Without hesitation, he took her hand in his and started walking. Del found her feet moving to follow him. His hand was strong, masculine and warm. It felt, well it felt good. She couldn't remember the last time she held hands with anyone.

Glancing at his stubbly face and sharp jawline, Del snapped her eyes forward again. For a moment, she felt like she was just another woman walking with her man. That was a crazy, stupid ass thought and she shoved the feeling down as far as she could until the tightness in her throat eased. They didn't know each other and he was a famous actor. She was just, well let's be honest, she was an unholy mess of a person. Her track record in life was not a good one.

Chris tugged her forward a bit to bring her up to his side as he chuckled, "Still star struck?"

Del blinked and then felt herself relax a bit, this was just some kind of weird day. She hadn't had a fantastical day in her life. Maybe today would make up for all the bullshit she'd been through. This was a once in a lifetime chance. A chance to not feel like she almost always did, to feel maybe like the world wasn't a constant fight.

Del smirked at Chris, "Nope."

"Wow, I must be losing my touch." He turned his crystal blue eyes at her, they wrinkled a little at the corners as he grinned.

Del laughed, that same warm and light feeling washing over her. It felt good and right like she could laugh like this for the rest of her life and never have a care in the world.


	5. Red Bows

Del was having so much fun she half forgot that Chris was a famous actor. He was easy to talk too, funny and absolutely charming. They ducked into the Circus, which was actually called Circus Circus, a large hotel and casino that was connected to the Silver Legacy and the Eldorado hotels and casinos by a high shuttle tram. They played in the arcade like kids, bouncing back and forth between games.

It had been awkward at first because she didn't have the money to play. The tips she'd gotten from the morning were already in her jar at home. Del, very nervous and shy, stumbled through her words as she explained very briefly that she didn't have any money. She half expected him to just walk away from her. Instead, he'd listened as she finished and then smiled, rather sweetly, and told her today was his treat.

Not being used to handouts, she'd refused, but that ended after he goaded her into a shooting competition on House of Dead 4. They made a pretty good team and got all the way to the seventh level before she ran out of lives and was eaten by a mutant zombie. Chris tried to continue without her, but it really was a two-person game for a reason. He died two more rooms past where she had, blown up by accidentally shooting a rogue gas can.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you actually blew yourself up. Who does that!?" Del laughed at Chris's shocked face. He gave her a goofy half smile.

"This coming from you, who gets eaten by a mutant zombie?"

Del smirked and pointed to the screen with their shooting score, "Talk trash all you want, my score was still better."

"Well shit." Chris laughed as he saw she actually only beat him by a few points. "I guess you're right, we'll have to keep playing till I've healed my pride."

"Ha! Fine, but I get to pick the next game." She grinned as she pulled him towards the next group of games.

Surprisingly, no one noticed who Chris was. Everyone who talked with him just assumed he was another guy, hanging out. That made it easier on Del to forget and get lost in the fun. It also helped that the arcade inside the casino had darker lighting.

They played racing games, shot some baskets, tilted the hell out of the Star Wars pinball machine and picked ducks for magic numbers. Chris had the most amazing luck and picked the winning duck, earning him the honor of choosing a prize.

"You totally have to get the dog!" Del grinned as she pointed to a massive blue tie-dyed stuff dog with overly large sparkly eyes. Chris raised a brow and shook his head, smirking.

"Hell no, I want the panda." Chris pointed on the other side of the rack of large stuffed animals to a black and white panda with a big red now around its neck.

"Oh come on! Blue is totally your color and it's cute. Besides, he has character. The only thing the panda has going for it is the bow."

Huffing, she pleaded her case to him. Chris crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. The old man behind the river of ducks was grinning as he watched them go back and forth.

"Nope," said Chris again, "pandas are cute and that bow is awesome."

"Here," said the man, bending down to pull out a smaller version of the dog and the panda, "how about this?" He held them both out towards Del and Chris.

They both blinked and Del shook her head as she frowned.

"You don't have to do that. I was just giving him a hard time, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble or anything."

"It's fine, really." The man held them out again and Chris immediately stepped forward to take them, much to Del's surprise.

"Thanks." Chris gave the man a big smile as he plopped the blue dog in Del's arms.

"But..." Del started and Chris chuckled, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the duck river. The man waved as he watched them and Del, baffled and surprised, yelled a thank you back to him.

Once they were well enough away from the duck river, Chris let go of her hand and stopped to look at her. He smiled, clearly amused as she fidgeted with the stuffed toy in her arms.

"Uh, here." She went to hand him the dog and he shook his head, waving his panda with its red bow.

"Nope, I got what I wanted. Think of it as a way to remember this weird day."

Del stared at him for a moment before a huge smile bloomed on her face, "Really? Thank you!"

She hugged it tighter to her chest, so severely happy that she forgot completely where she was and who she was with. Without thinking she hugged him, which forced a surprised noise from Chris.

That noise was like a sudden jolt through Del as she realized what the fuck she was doing. Quickly she let him go before his arms had a chance to react to her closeness. The blush was hot, fast and raced up her neck to cover her in a brilliant red that went all the way to her ears.

Seriously, what the hell was she doing? This was Chris Pine. She was a freaking thirty-one-year-old working in a coffee shop. Hugging him was a stupid, stupid thing to do; regardless of how lost in the moment she was.

Del groaned a little, embarrassed and awkward as she buried her face in the stuffed dog.

"Sorry." She said, the word coming out muffled. It was easier to apologize when she didn't have to look at him.

With her face covered, the noise from the people around her seemed loud. Kids and adults were laughing, music and loud beeping from games accompanying their fun. Suddenly it felt like she needed to leave, the urge was overwhelming. To run, to get as far away from her embarrassment and shyness as she possibly could.

Del cursed at her idiotic actions and how caught up she'd gotten in just having fun. Fun with no consequences. Just two people acting like kids and not caring about the problems of tomorrow. She needed to leave and wake her ass up. This weird, fantastical day needed to end. Because the longer it went on the more she wanted it to continue.

No matter how badly she may have wanted it. No matter how hard she wished for it, her boring, doormat life was just beyond the next sunrise.

Del slowly took the stuffed dog away from her face. Chris was smiling, blue eyes sparkling and that lovely handsomeness just oozed the boyish charm she'd seen glimpses of all night. It made her cringe when he saw the look on her face, his instantly falling to one of concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He reached out to touch her shoulder, a show of support. Del easily stepped back, giving him a half smile that just didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I really need to go. I have to get to work early." Del ran a hand through her hair as she bit her lip.

"Thank you. For today, for everything. I really had a lot of fun." Del looked right into his surprised blue eyes and squeezed his arm gently, trying to convey how much this day really meant to her.

"I have to work early too. What about a bite to eat or something?" Chris tried to gather his composure a little bit, the drastic switch from her laughter to serious was almost like whiplash.

Del shook her head and gave him a genuine smile, "I'm sure you don't need my help with finding food."

Chris opened his mouth to say something else, but she let go of him and quickly disappeared into the crowd.


	6. Headline

Del frowned as she looked in the scratched mirror above her sink. She'd barely gotten any sleep last night and there were large bags under her eyes.

"Damn it." Rubbing the dark circles, she sighed.

She felt like shit for ditching Chris at Circus Circus. Del had practically tripped over herself trying to get away from him. By the time she got home and realized how fucking childish and stupid she'd been, it was too late to go back and apologize. Chris was right, she did seem to apologize a lot. Which was also childish behavior. She was a grown woman for fuck's sake. What the hell was wrong with her?

Del groaned as she rubbed her face all around, trying to get the feelings of awkwardness and inadequacy to go away. Splashing cold water on her face, she grabbed a towel and dried it. The bags were still there, ensuring that she'd have to wear makeup to cover up the sleepless night.

After applying the makeup, the bags weren't as noticeable but Stephen would totally see them. She wanted to talk to him about the events yesterday, but at the same time, she was immensely glad she didn't have a phone anymore so she couldn't call him. In a silly attempt to cover up more of the bags, she decided to wear her glasses. She let her hair do its own thing, not really feeling up to taking the time to deal with it.

Breakfast was out of the question as her stomach was in knots. She hadn't eaten the entire day yesterday either because she had gotten so wrapped up in... Well, whatever yesterday had been about. It's not like she had a lot in her fridge anyway.

After pulling on a clean work polo and the jeans she washed last night, Del frowned at her work shoes. She completely forgot to clean them from yesterday's splatter.

"Fuck me." Del frowned and shook her head as she tied them. It couldn't be helped, if she stayed in her apartment much longer she was going to drive herself crazy with all the self-loathing. As it was with the lack of sleep, she'd been up well before her alarm clock.

Dressed and ready to go, she snatched her keys and bag and trotted down the stairs to the street. The early morning was chilly as she reminded herself to get a coat soon. It was late September and it wouldn't be long before the hot weather would turn cold.

The lights and neon signs guided her as she walked the few blocks to work, again taking the alleyway. The streets were still for the most part and she reached work in a new record time. She sighed as she approached the back door, unlocking it. It would still be another half hour before Stephen came into work. In the meantime, she could busy herself, which was much more productive.

Del hung her bag up and grabbed her apron. After tieing it on, she slipped up front and started preparing for the coming day. They had stocked everything the night before, which was good, but it left her very little to do until closer to opening time.

Flipping the switch on one of the coffee machines, Del brewed herself a pot of coffee and poured herself a large cup. Adding sugar and a milk, she smiled softly as the mixture turned to a deep cream color. Del brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.

"Mmm." A small sound of happiness filled her as the noise of someone filling the newspaper machine next to the shop brought her attention to the front. Maybe she could read a little bit until Stephen got to the shop. With any luck, she could skip over what she did last night with Chris.

The image of his handsome face flashed in her mind and Del slapped her face a little to snap herself out of it. She really needed to get a grip on her shit. It was a very good possibility that she wouldn't see him again. The only reminder of their fun time being a stuffed blue dog, which was currently sitting on her bed.

Del made her way to the front of the shop where she slipped outside to take a look at the front page of the Reno Gazette. The moment her eyes registered what she was seeing Del quickly ran back into the shop, snatching her bag and digging out coins. She ran back outside after setting her coffee down on the counter and quickly popped the money into the machine to grab a paper.

There on the front page was several, very large pictures of Chris talking and holding hands with...

"Holy fuck! What?!"

It was her. Del stared at the photos, her face was happy with a touch of red on her cheeks. Chris was smiling back at her, though half of his face was covered by his cap. The picture was clearly of them walking down one of the back alleys, holding hands. The title above the picture was in huge lettering.

**Reno Welcomes Hollywood: Chris Pine Finds Romance?**

Quickly her eyes darted over the main page as she scrambled to read.

_Hollywood has once again landed in Reno to start production on Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's new movie. Filming started yesterday in Reno's downtown area and is scheduled to continue for the next few weeks until the cast and crew ship back to California to continue studio shooting._

The first few paragraphs continued on about the new movie. No name was released yet as to what it was called, but it did warn that downtown would be closed periodically for shooting. As she read, she finally reached the only part she was interested in.

_While there is much buzz going on about the new movie being shot here on location, sources report that Pine was seen downtown with an unknown woman. Both were seen laughing and enjoying themselves in one of the local casinos. Sources say that they both seemed happy and romance was in the air._

Next to the paragraph were two smaller photos of Del hugging Chris, the blue dog and panda clearly visible. From the angle, her face was hidden, but Chris's wasn't. The first photo showed his surprised face, arms up with one hand holding the panda. The second one must have been taken a second later. His face was gentle, amused and he had a small smile on his lips. It was hard to see his eyes because of how dark the photo was, but it was clear he was looking at her.

The next paragraph continued.

_No one is sure who this unknown mystery woman is or what her relation is with Pine. Is she another Pine Nut? Or is this some kind of secret romance? Pine's management wasn't available for comment on the situation. More to follow as the story develops._

Del let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. This was bad. So, so bad on so many levels of fucking bad that she couldn't even find the words to fully express the feeling. The paper was wrong, there were no romantic feelings there. He was just being nice and like an idiot, she accepted his offer. She was a barista in a coffee shop for Christ's sake. He was a very popular famous actor with a bright career. Anyone who looked at them and saw anything more than that was an idiot.

Looking at the photos again, Del remembered the light, warm laughter she had. How he held her hand and seemed to pull her along when her brain started to take over. They had so much fun and if she was honest with herself, she'd secretly wished that she had a man like Chris in her life. So confident, funny and charming. He made her feel special, which was scary in its own way. No man had ever treated her like that.

She was the doormat. The overly loyal one that would screw herself over to make others happy. To give them anything she could to make their lives better, because even though her life was crap she knew there were others who were worse off. She tried to be selfless like her mother had taught her to be, but it just ended up hurting her more.

Del ran her hand through her short pixy hair and took her glasses off to rub her tired eyes with the back of her hand.

"Fuck, what am I going to do?"


	7. Coffee Shop Banter

There is something to be said for inflicting the wrath of a six foot one tall, blonde gay man. Most people would think it's like dealing with an angry person, it's not. It's more colorful and ends up making you feel like you kicked a puppy. The upside is, when your own personal blonde gay man, whom you've been best friends with since pre-school, is giving you the silent treatment you understand on some level that he still loves you.

This was not Del's first experience with pissing Stephen off. It probably wouldn't be the last, but it was definitely one for the books.

After he had barreled into the shop and demanded to know why his best friend was keeping secrets (which she wasn't), and why she was macking on a famous Hollywood actor (which she hadn't); the room had filled with silence.

Del couldn't stand the thought of him being mad at her, so she explained as non-hysterically as she could about the events after they parted ways late yesterday afternoon. She made sure to not leave anything out and by the end of it, she was almost in tears holding the front page of the newspaper in front of her like some kind of dirty ass piece of laundry.

The silent treatment continued on after that for a short while as they prepared to open. Del was still upset by the newspaper and was worried about Stephen being mad at her. She knew he'd come around eventually and give her one of his priceless lines of wisdom about the situation. What was really grating on her nerves was what she would do if she saw Chris again. What would he say? Would he blame her? Would he treat her like a piece of filthy society? She didn't know him that well, so she had no idea how he would react. Regardless, her brain worked overtime.

As Stephen walked to the front to flip the sign from Closed to Open, Del prayed that she wouldn't make a bigger ass out of herself today, for any reason. They weren't filming in the streets today, so the normal hustle and bustle of Reno was in full swing. There was no way that Chris would show up at the shop. Which was a double edge sword, she wanted to see him again. To laugh and have fun, carefree and without worry. On the other hand, she didn't because really, her fucking brain just couldn't deal with it. Why she cared so much in the first place was baffling and she had to constantly remind herself that there was no 'relationship' between her and Chris. And that she didn't want one.

Yeah, no new relationships.

With anyone...

With the shop open, the regulars instantly started to filter in. Stephen and her worked in tandem, speaking only to convey orders back and forth. It was a normal thing and slowly Del could feel the high tension that was so heavy before slowly melt away. There weren't as many people as there had been yesterday, which was probably due to the film crew not being right down the street. It was just busy enough so she didn't have to think about how her stomach was already sinking with the fact that yesterday was truly a fluke.

Slowly the morning rush came to an end and the shop became empty. There were only two hours left in their day and then the shop would close. Del hadn't recognized anyone from the film crew yesterday and she did her best to not let it get to her.

Really, what did she expect? For him to show up and completely understand her actions when she couldn't fully explain them? Besides, he probably had a girlfriend or something and those photos with that article had probably made a whole mess of problems. Del hoped that whoever he was dating would be understanding.

Again, why was she so concerned over this? It was getting fucking annoying.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, Del caught something moving towards her. Turning to look, a well-thrown balled up piece of paper hit her right in the forehead. It startled her enough that she let out a loud squeak which was followed by Stephen's laughter.

"What the hell Stephen?!" Del rubbed her head and adjusted her glasses, giving him a glare.

"Seriously, you are a space cadet." He grinned at her and leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Queenie." She teased back. The banter felt good and she found herself laughing.

Stephen crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to lean on the counter. His grin would have brought grown women to their knees, "Don't you forget it."

Del laughed and shook her head as she began to wipe down the espresso machine and counter.

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

The question came out casual, but she struggled to not sound like she was a five year old. Stephen chuckled and nodded.

"Oh, I'm still pissed at you. But I've been witness to 'Ms. Morris and her socially awkward blunders' before. This just adds to my already running list of stupid shit you've done."

"Jeez, and here I thought you'd have some kind of awesome wisdom to make me feel better."

Stephen shrugged and held up his index finger, "One, I can't make you feel better when you obviously don't want to. Your face has shifted through every possible human emotion from self-loathing to giddy ass high schooler."

Del frowned and stopped wiping down the counter to defend herself, but before she could speak Stephen grinned and shook his head.

"Just listen," he held up a second finger. "Two, I have amazing, kick-ass wisdom. It was hard earned by previous misdeeds, of which you were witness to."

Stephen gave Del a knowing look and she smiled softly. Stephen had struggled with a severe drug addiction since they were in high school. Not coming out to his family for fear of rejection and how much he was harassed at school made him turn to outside sources in order to cope. It had taken a lot of hard work and constant reminders to stay clean. Del had helped pull him back from a drug overdose, which in all honesty she wasn't sure how she had managed it. Del honestly didn't believe she'd helped him make the decision to get clean, from her perspective he had chosen to do it himself. Which Stephen always argued about with her.

"Finally, number three," holding up the last and final finger. "You need to kick that stupid brain of yours to the curb and stop overthinking things. Running away because you were embarrassed was fucked up. I'd say apologize when you see him, but who knows how long that will be, if ever." 

Del frowned, "He said I apologize too much."

Stephen grinned and laughed as he nodded, "Again, classic Ms. Morris behavior. You always do that when you like someone. Apologize for stupid stuff because you feel inadequate."

Del's mouth dropped open as she stared at him, "I do not!"

"Oh yeah? Then why is your face starting to turn red?"

Del snorted at him and turned away, she'd been trying to ignore the blush that had started to creep up. Del refused to acknowledge what that meant and decided to shove the feeling down as far as it would go. After she was sure she wasn't red anymore, she turned back to find Stephen stocking some to go cups from one of the boxes down below.

"So," desperate to change the subject, "do you think that Katie chick will bring you your autograph?"

Stephen smirked, "You mean 'our autographs'. And if she doesn't, I'm going to stalk that film crew until I get it. I've got a place picked out on my wall for Zachary Quinto."

"Oh my god. Seriously? Jesus, you're a fucking super fan." Del laughed as she teased him and he gave her a hurt look that she could tell he was struggling to keep on his face.

"That's just mean." Pushing out his bottom lip as he pouted, "I'm only doing what any normal person would do."

"I'm pretty sure you aren't normal."

"Neither are you sweet cheeks." Stephen grinned as he said his pet name for her since puberty and Del groaned.

"Yes, I have a big ass. Thank you for reminding me."

The door opened just as she spoke and two customers walked in. Stephen and Del immediately stopped what they were doing to take care of the customers. Both of them stopped mid-motion to stare.

There, not more than a couple of feet away on the other side of the counter stood Chris. He was wearing a button up short sleeved shirt and jeans. His five o'clock shadow still sporting the hint of grey as his eyes locked onto hers, amused and clearly having overheard her comment. Next to him stood Zachary Quinto, dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts. His dark hair and eyes a stark contrast to Chris.

Chris grinned, laughter on the edge of his voice, "Hey."

This was it, Del was going to be the first person in the history of the world to die from a simple greeting.

There were worse ways to go...


	8. Pinto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched an interview recently that Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine did for Star Trek and it seemed to me they were such great friends and really played off of each other. I tried to do that here, and of course give Del a good jolt.
> 
> Thank you for the Kudos and for those that have been reading.
> 
> I love comments. So if this is good or bad, please let me know!

Stephen and Del both stared at the two men. Nothing had prepared either for their sudden appearance in the coffee shop. Stephen's face was completely blank as his eyes darted back and forth. Del, on the other hand, had her mouth hanging open like some kind of glasses wearing fish. The silence that followed Chris's 'Hey' would have been deafening had it not been for the busy downtown traffic outside.  
  
It was actually Zachary Quinto who spoke first.  
  
"So these must be the 'coffee champions'." His voice was smooth, deep and slightly clipped. The tone was filled with amusement however as he looked between Stephen and Del. His dark eyes taking them both in.  
  
"What?" Del said, tearing her eyes away from Chris and trying like hell to get her composure. She was failing though, as she quickly looked from Zachary back to Chris.  
  
"What are you doing here?" It was a half whisper as she bit her lip. Del swallowed hard as all the worry came rushing back like a tidal wave. Chris grinned at her wider, clearly enjoying her shocked reaction to his presence.  
  
"That's just rude Del." Somehow managing to regain his composure before her, Stephen slipped out from behind the counter to introduce himself, leaving Del to stare agape after him.  
  
"Hi, my name is Stephen Bradley. It's nice to meet you." He shook both of their hands and offered up a goofy self-conscious smile to Zachary. "Huge fan of your work." The way he said it screamed fan girl from a mile away and Del ran her fingers through her hair nervously. This was their first time meeting Zachary Quinto, she'd have to be on her game so Stephen wouldn't have a breakdown or something if things didn't go well.  
  
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Zachary said, smiling in turn and Chris nodded as well.  
  
"Uh," Del said, her voice sounded weird. She swallowed a little and adjusted her glasses as she forced herself to stand straighter and smile.  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Quinto."  
  
Stephen gave Del a thumbs up for pulling her head out of her ass and Del blew a little sigh out, making her bangs shift slightly.  
  
Zachary grinned and extended his hand, and when Del took it he gave it a little shake. "It's nice to meet you too. Chris was telling me how bad you made him look at the arcade."  
  
For a moment Del stiffened, horrified that Chris had told Zachary Quinto of all people that she ran away from him at the Circus. Jesus, she was never going to live this down now.  
  
Chris chuckled and shrugged, "It's not a bad thing to be shown up by a woman playing a first-person shooter."  
  
"He's just saying that so I'll stop giving him shit about it." Zachary offered up a toothy grin and Stephen looked completely head over heels in love. It was a good thing no one but Del was paying attention.  
  
She blinked a little bit at Zachary, slowly coming to the realization that maybe Chris hadn't explained how she'd practically ran away from him. She opened her mouth but closed it again. She didn't know what to say. Or more accurately, which question she needed an answer to first.  
  
Seriously, what was he doing there? Why the hell was he smiling at her? Why the fuck isn't Stephen helping her escape out the back away from this crazy ass situation?  
  
Right...  
  
Zachary Quinto...  
  
Del rolled her eyes as she glanced at Stephen, whose hazel eyes were going all mushy just looking at him. Secretly Del slapped her forehead, she'd almost forgotten the Zachary Quinto Marathon they'd had of watching Heroes. The boy was a lost cause.  
  
"So," Chris said, as he set down two large yellow envelopes on the counter that she hadn't noticed, "We were informed that we needed to sign some autographs for our coffee champions. Since we have a delay in our schedule, we decided to come down and do it in person."  
  
There was a mischievous glint in his crystal blue eyes and Del felt her face redden a little. Stephen practically bounced up and down with excitement.  
  
"Holy shit! Really? That's fantastic!"  
  
Chris promptly pulled out a few headshots, two of each of them. Like freaking magic Zachary pulled out a couple of sharpies like they'd rehearsed the whole act and passed one to Chris. Stephen jumped in without missing a beat as he excitedly had Zachary scribble out a personalized message. Del was briefly worried about him going overboard but Zachary looked calm and collected, practically amused at Stephen's fan girlish nature. His eyebrows cocked with the smirk on his face. It was clear that Stephen didn't care if he got Chris's signature.  
  
Which of course lead to Chris watching Del with a soft smile on his full lips.  
  
"Uh, I don't really need that. I-I mean I have the stuffed animal y-you gave me. So it's really not n-necessary."  
  
Del stumbled over her words like an idiot as she spoke in a hushed tone, leaning over the counter a little to try and not draw the other two men's attention.  
  
Chris chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"Nope. This is a thank you from the crew. No getting out of it. Now, what's your name?"  
  
Del stared as he locked eyes with her, it occurred to her that she never actually introduced herself and suddenly her face felt a thousand times hotter. She'd spent time with someone who didn't even know her name. Briefly, she remembered they'd given their names to Katie, however something about the way he said it made it seem like it was important that she answer him.  
  
"Oh, uh... It's Delany Morris, but I go by Del."  
  
Christ, was she sweating? Why the hell was it so hot in here?  
  
Chris gave her a soft smile as he began to scribble in precise letters. She tried to read what he wrote upside down, but before she knew it Zachary had slipped his autographed photo over the top of Chris's effectively covering it.  
  
Within moments Stephen and Del had two large envelopes in their hands with autographed photos of the two actors. Stephen looked like any moment he'd have an aneurysm. Del found herself lightly holding the envelope, trying not to show how sweaty her palms were getting. She didn't feel this nervous yesterday, why was she freaking out now?  
  
Suddenly Stephen's words about apologizing and kicking her stupid brain to the curb came back to her and she cleared her throat a little.  
  
"Thank you. I uh," she glanced at Zachary and Stephen who were having their own conversation about the upcoming movie. Glad they were distracted, she looked back at Chris who gave her his full attention. "Look, I'm really sorry I ran away from you. Sometimes I over think things and get a little freaked out. I'm also really sorry about this mornings paper. I didn't know someone was following us or anything and I hope you don't think I had anything to do with...selling photos for money or something like that. I hope your girlfriend wasn't pissed off."  
  
Del realized she was rambling and quickly shut her mouth. Zachary and Stephen were both looking at her with amused faces.  
  
"Is this the apologizing thing you were talking about?" Zachary looked at Chris with a smirk on his lips.  
  
"Oh, there's a reason for that." Stephen grinned so big Del could see all of his stupid teeth.  
  
"Shut up, Queenie," Del growled, which caused Stephen to bat his eyes at her.  
  
"Oh really?" Said Chris, bring her attention back to him. "Well, since you feel so terrible about the whole situation, how about you make it up to me by hanging out with me later?"  
  
"What?! Why?!" Del practically shouted in surprise which made her face flush causing both Zachary and Stephen to laugh.  
  
Chris chuckled, "If you want you can bring Stephen with you."  
  
"Absolutely!" Stephen was bouncing on his heels again and Del frowned.  
  
"Whoa, whoa. I thought you said you were working? Aren't movie productions really time-consuming or something?" Del was scrambling to find any excuse to politely decline. As much as she liked hanging out with Chris yesterday, well, she loved it but that wasn't the point. The point was she didn't want to be in the newspaper and she didn't think it would be a good idea.  
  
"I mean, what about your girlfriend? If more pictures are taken won't that cause a scene? I'm not even sure how you got here without being mobbed."  
  
Chris shrugged, "I don't have a girlfriend."  
  
"But you said..."  
  
"Nope, you assumed. I just didn't want to correct you so you wouldn't run again." The mischievous look in his eyes made Del have that sack of wet noodles feeling again and Stephen jumped into the conversation.  
  
"Don't worry, we will definitely hang out."  
  
"What?!" Del could have slapped herself for all the surprised yelling she was doing and Zachary grinned at her.  
  
"You might as well admit defeat. I don't think you're going to win this one."  
  
Stupefied, Del opened her mouth and then closed it again. What the fuck was going on?!  
  
"Right. So here's my number. Del doesn't have a cell phone right now so you can either call the shop or call me. I'll make sure she is there." Stephen handed Chris a piece of paper with the numbers on it.  
  
"But I..." Del began, only to be interrupted.  
  
Chris grinned and pocketed the paper giving Del a charming smile, "Great. I'll see you soon then."


	9. The Long Wait

Two weeks had passed without a word from Chris. After about the fifth day Del brushed it off as 'movie star flakiness' and buried any weird feelings she had about the situation. The two days of being around him, for however long or short it was, had rattled her a bit. First, she fretted, then she got depressed, then angry, and then she just let it go. She wasn't anything special and just the idea that she entertained the thought of him wanting to hang out with her was fucking crazy.

The only thing that kept a tiny piece of hope alive that he actually wanted to hang out with her was from what he wrote on his headshot. That and a blue tie-dyed stuffed dog.

**_Del,_ **

**_Thank you for showing me a part of Reno. I want to see what else you have here and I hope you'll be my guide again._ **

**_P.S. No more running._ **

**_—Chris Pine_ **

She read it several times. Whether he was speaking or writing it seemed he was genuine. Like everything was deliberate, even him holding her hand had been deliberate. It made her feel special and that was a very dangerous fucking feeling.

Zachary Quinto's autograph had been simple and made her laugh. Even though she didn't know him that well, it was clear he was a good friend of Chris's.

**_To Delany Morris,_ **

**_Thank you for being our coffee champion._ **

**_P.S. When you beat him again, make sure you take a picture. I want to make t-shirts for Christmas._ **

**_—Zachary Quinto_ **

During the first few days she had read both autographs, Chris's more so, over and over again. Which lead to a tornado of messy emotions that she didn't even feel were valid. Finally, after she chalked up their visit as a 'part two' of her weird fantastical day, she hung them on her wall in her little living room. It was sad that they were only things on there, but they definitely made a statement.

Stephen had been supportive, not giving her false hope but not discounting Chris either. It was weird and completely un-Stephen-like. He also left the shop directly after they closed almost every afternoon. Which was suspicious to Del, normally they chatted or ended up at his apartment to watch something or cook together. However, no amount of pleading, bitching or whining would make him fess up to what he was up to. Del gave up asking and just figured he had a new boy toy. She hoped that if that was the case, that this one would be good for him. Like her, he'd been victim to some pretty bad relationships.

Another week came and went and it was now Sunday, her only day off during the week. She slept in late, which meant waking up at six instead of five. Made a simple breakfast of eggs and toast, and proceeded to busy herself with cleaning and trudging up and down the seven flights of stairs to the laundry room and back. It was a pain in the ass and Del wished, not for the first time, that she'd one day live in a place where she had her own washer and dryer.

Penny pinching was always a bitch, especially now that her Ex wasn't part of her life to help with expenses and food. She'd considered at one point just staying with Stephen, but she didn't want to intrude on his life.

Or more importantly, listen to her best friend be nailed by some guy in the shower.

Her Ex hadn't laid a finger on her since he started getting into drugs and alcohol, which lead to sleeping with anything that was trampy and disgusting being railed in their apartment. Del had tried for intimacy and understanding to try and help him but he just gave her empty promises and a cold bed. In one of their fights, he told her she was too fat to love.

What an asshole...

Still, she missed sex and the comfort of cuddling. Hell, she missed being with someone who wanted her. Listening to Stephen's exploits was like rubbing salt in the wound. As much as she missed it though, her self-esteem had been degraded so far that she began to believe on a certain level, that she'd be alone for the rest of her life. That love and companionship were beyond her and then Chris came along...

Again, stupid, crazy thought.

Del had slipped into a pair of old basketball shorts and a tank top. It was hot today, even with the small AC unit on. It sputtered and struggled to keep the living room cool, so Del ended up folding laundry on her couch, deep in her thoughts.

A sharp knock on her door brought Del's head up towards the sound.

"Del! It's me, open up." Stephen's voice was a little muffled as she approached and opened the door. Standing in her doorway, he was wearing a nice pair of khaki shorts and a green button up shirt with short sleeves. His blonde hair was styled perfectly, giving his somewhat boyish face more of a grown-up feel to it. He looked like he was ready for a date, once she caught the orgasm-inducing cologne he wore only on special occasions, Del narrowed her eyes.

"Wow, Del we really need to get you a phone." Pouting, he didn't even acknowledge the look she was giving him.

"Yeah, well they're expensive damnit," Del grumbled and moved out of his way so he could come in.

Stephen breezed in and looked around, the trail of his delicious cologne trailing after him. Del closed the door and went back to her seat on the couch so she could finish the laundry. Stephen stood watching her for a moment before snatching the pair of socks she was trying to fold.

"Damnit Stephen, I'm trying to get this done. Now give it back." Annoyed, she stood and tried to get the socks back but Stephen kept them well away from her.

"Ha, never! We have a date today."

Del blinked mid-reach and stared, "Wait, 'we'? We have a date? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, my sweaty compadre, that you need to get showered and dressed because we're going out."

Del frowned, "I'm not going."

Del stood straight, giving up on getting the socks back. He could keep the damn pair for all she cared.

"Oh, yes you are." Stephen gave her a devilish look, making Del pause and then gasp in surprise when he snatched her up off the floor to throw her over his shoulder.

"What the fuck?!" Del grappled onto his shirt for fear of falling as she stared down at the floor.

"We don't have time for you to pull one of your socially awkward blunders. Time to start living like you mean it." He slapped her ass hard, making her squeak.

"Stephen! Put me down!"

"Nope." He started towards her bedroom as she began to beat on his back. He was like an unmoving rock, not even grunting as she tried to struggle and get away.

"Huh, you seem lighter than the last time I did this." Grinning he plopped her down on her bed, making her squeak again. "Now, shower and get dressed. I'll do your hair and makeup. You've got fifteen minutes or I'm coming in after you."

Stephen gave her an evil look as he said the last part. Del gaped at him, knowing full well if she didn't obey his commands he really would come in after her.

"Stephen," she began to plead her case. Stephen shook his head and tapped his wrist to indicate she was being timed.

"Fifteen minutes."

"Fuck." She grumbled as she began to move, "This better not be a blind date or something. Where are we going anyway?"

"Fourteen minutes," Stephen said cheerful, his hazel eyes were sparkling and Del groaned.

"Fine, fine."

Hurrying off to shower Del felt butterflies start to creep up in her stomach. What if Chris had called and wanted to meet up? What if they were really going on a date? If they were, would they kiss?

Del stopped undressing, the shower already on and warming up as she pictured him kissing her. His warm, strong hands holding her against him as he...

Del let out a half pained, half annoyed sound. They barely knew each other for fuck's sake. A loud knock came from the other side of the bathroom door startling Del.

"Thirteen minutes, sweet cheeks." Stephen sing singed through the door.

Del sighed, this was going to be a long day.


	10. A Question

The drive to South Lake Tahoe had taken just under an hour. After Stephen had styled her pixy hair cut into a black sleek look, he worked on her makeup. Giving her green eyes a smokey look that really made them stand out. She felt kind of silly dressed in her jeans and the nicest shirt she owned (a sheer white button up with a green tank top under it at Stephen's insistence). She felt...not herself. Which was both good and bad; exciting and nerve-wracking.  
  
Stephen had ushered her down the seven flights of stairs and into his little red Honda. It was an old junker, but it ran and though Stephen hated the damn thing he still made sure it got regular maintenance.  
  
Del had bugged him at first once they got in the car, her stomach doing flip flops just thinking about what was to come. But before she could get too worked up, he popped in some music and soon they were singing/shouting out the windows. Del found herself sitting back and enjoying herself. It had been a really long time since she went out and actually did anything. Even if she didn't see Chris, that was okay. She was in someways thankful that he had come along and turned her boring crappy life into a semi-exciting one. No one could knock that.  
  
Stephen turned off the main highway just as they went through the mountain tunnel, though it was small it still held its rocky texture inside where they had blasted so many years ago to make it. The road was well maintained and the woods were dense, parting only for the road they were on.  
  
"So, a question before we reach our destination." Stephen smiled as he navigated their way.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"How much do you love me?" His tone was serious as they rounded another bend, Del could almost make out houses within the trees.  
  
"Seriously? That seems like a loaded question. I'm not sure I want to answer that." Del teased him, smirking.  
  
"Oh I won't lie, it is loaded." He wiggled his eyebrows and Del laughed loudly at his joke.  
  
"God, does that line work?" Del said through a fit of giggles.  
  
"Sometimes. A boy has to have his standards." Stephen gave her a cheesy grin before they turned down into a driveway. A high iron and brick fence surrounded the area, but the gate was open. Just a little further past some trees, Del spotted a massive house. Which was putting it mildly.  
  
The windows were huge and stonework covered a massive part of the outside of the mansion. The wrap around porch was painted white and there was even a bench swing facing them, giving the whole place a homey look.  
  
"Wow..." Del breathed, "this is amazing. What the hell are we doing here?" She cast a nervous glance at Stephen as he pulled next to a string of various cars to park. Somewhere expensive, others were normal working class cars.  
  
"We are here to meet some friends." He said matter of factly. Del raised a brow and scoffed at him.  
  
"Since when do 'we' know rich friends?"  
  
"Not the point. We were invited and you better not run away." Stephen turned off the car and jingled the keys in front of her face, she was glad she was wearing her contacts and not her glasses. Or else the glare from them would have killed her eyes.  
  
"I've got the keys. Remember that." Stephen said with a smirk. "And try to relax. Deep breaths and all that."  
  
"Stephen, where are we?" Del felt her stomach tighten, anticipation rising up to make her voice soft.  
  
"You'll see. Now, no more questions."  
  
Without waiting for her, he got out and started walking, Del opened her door and cautiously followed him as he hit the key fob and locked the car. Catching up to him, he grabbed her hand and looped her arm through his as they made their way not towards the house, but around back. There was distant music playing, it was upbeat and had an excellent sound to it. It sounded faintly familiar and as they rounded the corner, Del realized they were at a party.  
  
Stephen wasted no time lingering and pulled her along, down stone steps towards the group that was barbecuing and laughing. The smell of good food smelled delicious and it made Del's stomach grumble.  
  
There was a nice dock with a small boat tied to it and even a little boat house right next to the lake. Whoever owned this place definitely took care of it. Del swallowed, the nervousness creeping up and threatening to turn her legs to jelly. Del did not do crowds of people, especially ones she didn't know. She'd been an outcast for most of her life and in a crowd, it became apparent as to why. Work was different, at work she was busy and her encounters with people were in passing. This would be socializing with a group of people. Scary as fuck.  
  
As Del continued to fret and Stephen kept pulling her along, she realized some of the faces looked familiar. She couldn't place them, but she definitely knew them. Just as they came within speaking distance to the group of people, Del felt her footing almost give out as she spotted Chris talking with Zachary.  
  
"Oh, shit..." She whispered and Stephen let out a playful laugh as he wrapped his around her waist to keep her from falling on her face.  
  
"So," Stephen whispered in her ear as she stared at Chris. He was dressed in a nice grey shirt with shorts and sandals. He casually sipped the beer in his hand and happened at that moment to see her. He paused, his blue crystal eyes meeting hers and suddenly the world seemed to stop spinning.  
  
"I'll ask again, how much do you love me?" Stephen whispered again.  
  
Del's throat felt unbelievably dry, but at that moment with Chris looking at her like that, she never wanted it to end.  
  
"More than you'll ever know, Queenie."


	11. Give Up & Give In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ^_^ I really appreciate the Kudos and the comments. Here's another chapter for you guys!

Del stood there half frozen, her hand clutching Stephen's shirt behind his back. He felt totally relaxed while she felt her body grow stiffer. What the fuck were they doing here?! Del tried to remember, okay, he said they were invited. But...

Chris smiled at her from across the way as he said something to Zachary, who turned to look in their direction. As he did, Stephen grinned and gave a big wave drawing attention to them. Del groaned slightly as she pinched Stephen through his shirt.

"You asshole," she whispered harshly, "you couldn't tell me we were invited to a Hollywood party with Chris and Zachary Quinto?!"

"Ouch!" Stephen jumped a little at her harsh assault on his lower back and smirked at her.

"If I would have told you, I'd never have gotten your ass out of the apartment. Besides, you should give up and give in. I refuse to watch you die alone in a shitty apartment with shitty AC."

Del scoffed at him and pulled back away to glare at him, "You make it sound like I'm dating him or something. We aren't. We went to the arcade and it was amazing, but it was just for fun. He was probably just bored or something."

"Riiight." Stephen drawled in a very fake, very annoying southern accent. "Which explains why you call him 'Chris'. Or the constant eye contact you two do when you're within viewing distance of each other. Or the fact that he is coming over here right now and grinning like he just won the lottery." He gave her a pointed look.

Del opened her mouth and then closed it. Then attempted to speak again, but nothing came out. What the Hell? That wasn't... But... Fuck! Nervously, Del moved to run her fingers through her short hair, wishing not for the first time that she hadn't cut it. Before she could though, Stephen grinned and grabbed her hand in his and brought it to his chest. From an outsiders perspective, it looked very intimate, but the movement forced her to look at him.

"I just want you to be happy Del. Whatever that means, for however long that is. At this moment, try to enjoy yourself. For me, okay?" Stephen held her gaze for a moment, as he whispered.

"Okay. I'll try." She whispered back, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Good girl." He grinned cheekily and tugged her hand, making her spin around to face away from him. It was a little too fast and she staggered on her feet, falling forward.

"Whoa there."

Warm, strong hands lightly gripped her shoulders to steady her as Del blinked up at Chris's face. This close, he smelled good and looked way too... Nope, not going there. Del forced her mouth to open and offered up a shaky voice.

"U-uh, sorry about that." She smiled weakly and gave Stephen a sharp glare. He shrugged casually like he hadn't done anything. Damn him...

Chris chuckled and let his hands trail down her arms for a moment before letting her go, "It's fine, there's no reason to apologize. I'm glad you both could make it."

Del smiled, trying not to pay too much attention to his hands, which she was failing at. "Stephen didn't tell me where we were going." Del tugged a little bit at the corner of her sheer white shirt nervously. Good fucking god, this was like high school with Derek Adler all over again.

Zachary came up next to Chris and smirked at their exchange, "I come over to say hello and you're apologizing again."

Stephen grinned, his hazel eyes ogling Zachary quickly before he was caught. Del knew that look, Stephen was definitely trying to play it cool. Briefly, she thought maybe Zachary and Stephen had been talking the last two weeks. It would explain a lot of Stephen's actions, but the moment Zachary pointed out her apology, she bit her lip ending the train of thought.

Del blushed a little at Zachary's teasing, which caused all three to look at her. The longer they looked the hotter her face felt and Del wanted to run away again. She forced herself to stay rooted to the spot, however and looked at Zachary nervously.

"H-hi Mr. Quinto." Del inwardly cursed at how stupid she sounded. Ugh, this was a disaster.

"It's Zachary, or Zach of you prefer." He chuckled and patted Chris on the back, who hadn't looked away from Del. "Alright, I'm going to introduce Stephen to a few people. You two have fun now."

Del blinked and stared as Zachary casually started walking away, Stephen following him. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a wink and Del's mouth fell open. What the hell?! They just left her with Chris? It was a big party so she wasn't alone, but goddamnit.

Chris smiled and gently took her hand in his. The same warm, masculine feel of his hand surrounding hers felt comforting. She looked at him, somewhat startled and he chuckled.

"You okay? Not star struck again are you?" His bright blue eyes twinkled and damn if he didn't look sexy with that partially grey scruff surrounding his face. Del snorted and rolled her eyes, her body slowly relaxing as the familiarity started to seep in.

"You're never going to let that go are you?" She smiled at him.

"Nope. I'm not. And I'm never going to let you live it down that you ran away from me either." He winked at her and started to lead her towards the crowd of people, her face bright red. Jesus, when this whole thing was over she was going to kill Stephen...

Or hug him...

Well...maybe both.


	12. Introductions

Chris introduced Del to so many people it was extremely difficult to keep them all straight. After the fourth introduction, it dawned on her that a lot of the people here were from the movie crew. She recognized them from the shop and even ran into Katie again. Everyone knew who she was, which was embarrassing and confusing at the same time. People raved about their coffee and how they loved their little shop. Even though it was only for a day, the lasting impression it made Del feel proud. She'd have to tell Peter how much they loved their coffee. All of Stephen's whining to him hadn't been in vain.  
  
After a few more introductions Del kept glancing at the large table packed full of food. She was trying not to be obvious about it but when her stomach growled unusually loud, the jig was up.  
  
Chris grinned at her as her face flushed, "Hungry?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I ate early this morning and haven't... Well, I missed lunch." She amended. Del didn't want to really let on how she didn't exactly 'miss lunch', which was more like 'didn't have enough food for lunch'. She tugged on her sheer white over shirt nervously again, not wanting to look at Chris. If he ever found out how poor she really was, he'd probably ditch her faster than Derek Adler had at the senior prom.  
  
Chris watched her for a moment before smiling and taking her hand again. He didn't seem phased at all by her actions and instead chuckled, "Well, maybe Zach is onto something when he tells me I have a one-track mind."  
  
His tone was deeper than usual and Del looked at him slightly startled. It wasn't what he said, but how he said it. Like she was distracting him or something. It didn't even come across as cheesy or creepy like it could have. Del felt her stomach tighten slightly as he watched her reaction for a moment before leading her towards the table full of food.  
  
Del continued to look at Chris, completely not paying attention to where they were going. How he managed to steer them to the table and not bump into anyone was truly amazing. Chris gestured towards to table, waving his hand and bowing slightly as he did.  
  
"And what will the lady have?" He grinned as he spoke, an English accent flowing off his lips like nothing and Del for whatever stupid reason started to blush.  
  
"Uh, well." She smiled nervously, turning to look at the food. God, it looked good. There were steaks, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs; every type of 'salad' you could possibly imagine and deserts! Jesus, the amount of food here could feed all of the guests four times over and there'd still be leftovers. Del hesitated, she didn't want to gorge on food, but her body was screaming at her.  
  
"Chris!" Someone squealed and they both turned just in time as a short, cute brunette with long hair jumped on Chris. Sliding her arms around his neck, she stood on her tippy toes and planted a very loud kiss on his cheek.  
  
"Whoa!" Chris caught her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug. Del found herself staring wide-eyed and felt her face pale.  
  
The woman was gorgeous, thin and had striking dark eyes that glittered. Her summer dress had gold and white flowers and just seemed to add to her beauty. Del swallowed and stepped back slightly to try and distance herself. This was fucking stupid. This was probably his girlfriend. The girlfriend he said he didn't have. His super thin super, amazing girlfriend. Fucking Christ, she was an idiot.  
  
The woman noticed Del instantly as she stepped back and offered up a warm, kind smile. "Hello! I'm sorry about just jumping in like that. My name is Katherine, it's nice to meet you."  
  
Katherine let go of Chris and shook Del's hand still grinning. Del forced herself to relax and not be so stiff. She shook her hand and smiled back, trying not to let how pissed off and hurt she was show on her face. Thankfully she had a lot of practice with her ex.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm Del."  
  
Goddamnit, it was hard not to say what she really wanted.  
  
Who the fuck are you?  
  
God, you're a lying fucking bastard!  
  
Just to name a few. The irony of being surrounded by Hollywood people and putting on an Oscar-worthy performance had Del laugh slightly, a bit more bitter than she intended. The moment it left her, Del felt herself blush as Chris looked at her with a bemused look. What a dick!  
  
Katherine grinned and stood next to Del, sliding her arm around her back like they were old pals. Del secretly wished Stephen would pop up and save her from this misery, but he was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Katie..." Chris began, and Katherine grinned at him with a knowing look. It made Del's stomach churn as Katherine shooed him away.  
  
"Girl talk!" She declared and Del found herself being lead away from both Chris and the food table. It pained Del to admit both smelled good and it hurt even more that this woman was bound and determined to befriend her. The worst part was Del was starting to feel this was all a huge prank. Right down to Stephen driving them out here to be humiliated. Everyone knew who she was when Chris introduced them to her and the sickening feeling in her stomach made bile rise up a little. Every conversation she just had turned dark and twisted.  
  
Fuck...this just hit 'Derek Adler Prom Night' status.  
  
Katherine led Del to a far table away from everyone and with a lot of urging she had Del sit down. The woman was maybe around her age and as perky as all hell. This was going to be worse than watching her Ex fuck some random chick on their kitchen table.  
  
Maybe Del wouldn't buy a kitchen table with the money she saved.  
  
Irritated at herself, Del snatched a bottle of water from the center of the table and took a cool drink.  
  
"So," Katherine said, startling Del out of her self-loathing and grinning at her with stunning teeth. "Do you like my brother?"  
  
Del choked and sputtered, water spraying from her mouth before she clamped her hand over it. She could get words out so she said the only word that was important.  
  
"B...brother?!"


	13. Girl Talk

Katherine blinked, chuckling as she handed Del a napkin from the table, "Sorry, are you okay?"

Del held the napkin to her mouth and stared at her. Katherine's brown eyes were bright and somewhat apologetic.

What. The. Hell?!

"I-it's fine. Did you...say, brother?" Del wiped her mouth a little from the spilled water, it was some kind of strange miracle that she didn't get any on her clothes. That's where the miracle ended though, as her voice came out too high pitched and surprised.

"Yes, he's my baby brother." Katherine grinned as she patted Del's shoulder, "I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea. I haven't seen him for a while since our schedules are always so crazy. I had some free time and decided to come for a quick visit. Especially when he said he invited a girl."

Del blinked in surprise, "He told you about me?"

"Not much, don't worry." She winked and Del was thankful she hadn't taken another drink of water. She probably would have spit that sip out too.

"But we only hung out once. Twice, I guess if you include the autograph." Del felt her face flare from awkwardness. She was sitting with the sister of a man she was secretly crushing on. She was grown up to admit it was a crush damnit. But why had he told his sister?!

Katherine grinned and leaned forward like she was going to divulge some huge secret. Del found herself leaning in as Katherine's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Well, there were those pictures in the paper. You didn't think his big sis wouldn't have questions right?"

Del wasn't worried about her face being red anymore, as all the color suddenly drained from it. "You heard about that?"

Katherine giggled and shrugged, sitting straight again in her chair. "Hunny, those pictures were released to every media outlet within internet distance."

"Oh my god." Del hid her face with her hands, looking horrified through her fingers at Katherine. She didn't even think it would have gone farther than Reno, sure as fuck not back to his sister of all people. Del groaned, her little doormat life was painfully small.

"Hey, it's fine! No worries! Chris is a great guy and I'm really proud of him for breaking out of his socially awkward shell and inviting you here with friends, family, and co-workers."

Del laughed, somewhat sarcastically, "Yeah, because he just breathes socially awkward."

"You'd be surprised. We went to private schools growing up so that was our normal. I adjusted easier than Chris, but it took him a while to open up and mingle with people naturally. College was a real eye-opener for him."

Katherine smiled softly as she spoke, her eyes looking off over the crowd of people who were laughing, drinking and talking. The music had changed to a slower song, instrumental, but not boring like some classical pieces. Resting her chin on her palm, Katherine looked at Del and smiled genuinely at her.

"I know all of this seems crazy, like your caught in a whirlwind of emotion and weird situations. But, regardless of how strange it all is, Chris is a normal guy. He's pretty down to earth too."

Del sighed and removed her hands from her face, "Well I don't mean to crush any hopes you may have, but we aren't dating or anything. I'd say, maybe we are friends. Kind of." Del bit her lip a little before continuing, "He just bumped into me randomly when I was walking. And the autograph thing was something someone from the crew set up. I'm not anyone, just a barista at a coffee shop."

Katherine hummed thoughtfully, her gaze intense as she looked at Del. The pressure felt enormous and Del fidgeted with her napkin in her lap. "Well, that all may be true. But you must be someone to him because he invited you here."

"To this party?" Del frowned.

"Well, it is a party, a quick little one as a good job for finishing the location shoot before everyone heads back to California to finish the rest. But he invited you to it, knowing it would be the last time he'd probably get to see you. I think that says a lot." Katherine smiled softly as Del stared a bit wide-eyed at her.

"But that..."

Katherine chuckled and stood, stooping down to give Del a sudden warm hug. "It was great meeting you. Have fun okay? And if you ever find yourself in California some day, look me up."

And just like that, Katherine walked away to chat with someone in the ongoing party. Del sat there for a few moments, her mind a mix of crazy emotions again. Jesus Christ, it was like a female version of Stephen had just plopped herself down and rattled Del to the core.

What she said couldn't have been right, could it? She implied that Chris actually liked her. At least, that's what she thought Katherine was trying to tell her.

Del's nerves were shot, right down to their endings. Her stomach ached with hunger and the fucking butterflies that just had to make their stupid presence known. This was stupid. She was stupid. If she wasn't already outside, she'd think she'd need to step out and get some air.

What she really needed was a moment to think without a thousand eyes possibly looking at her.

Del stood, barely managing to walk like a normal human being to the house. What she really wanted to do was leave, running as fast as her legs could carry her. That wasn't possible though, so a plan 'B' was needed. Maybe she could find a place to have a mini freak out really quick so she could get her shit together.

Then maybe come back and eat a pound of deserts...

The cheesecake looked good...


	14. Kicked To The Curb

The inside of the house was so big, Del got lost trying to find the bathroom. She thought about hiding in a closet to have her mini freak out session, but she was worried someone would spot her. Seriously, how would she explain that?

_'I'm sorry for hiding in this closet. I'm just freaking out about this guy I like, who is leaving and I'll never see again. No, we aren't dating and no we didn't sleep together. I've sworn off all relationships. Why am I freaking out then? I don't know!'_

Yeah...

That'd go over well.

Del paced in the kitchen for a moment to try and calm herself. The house, or mansion (or whatever it was), was empty as everyone else was outside enjoying the music and the party. It was slowly growing dark outside and garden lights came on to illuminate the stone steps and the rest of the yard. It was pretty really, but Del tore her eyes away from the large kitchen window overlooking the party. There was still a risk of someone seeing her, and as much as she wanted to talk to Chris she really needed to get her shit together first. Del made her way up the tall staircase towards the center of the house. The inside was very rustic looking with natural wood throughout. Earth tones and pictures of trees made the place feel homey and warm.

Sadly, that warm homey feeling wasn't making the rising anxiety disappear. In a moment of desperation she opened the first door she came too and stepped inside. Del shut the door behind her, a little harder than she intended too and took a few deep, shaky breaths.

"Okay, there's no need to freak out. You've sworn off all relationships Del, you're getting worked up over nothing. You're thirty-one years old and work in a coffee shop. He's a charming, sexy ass man who is a famous Hollywood actor. It would never work out. Stop being a weirdo and wishing for something that isn't going to come true you moron."

Del spoke to herself as she rested her head on the closed door. Now that she was alone, she talked to herself in hope of getting her brain to calm down. She didn't know what she was doing. It wasn't like he asked her out or anything. Del closed her eyes and took another deep breath, her head still resting against the cool wood of the door.

"I'm an idiot." Del frowned and let out a heavy sigh. The soft click of a door startled her and she jumped as she turned in the direction of the sound.

Chris stood in the doorway of the bathroom, a bemused look on his face. Del groaned and covered her mouth with her hands as she stared at him. Fuck she had some bad luck going on, what the hell was he doing in here?!

Del blinked as she realized she shut herself in a master bedroom, most likely his. Shit, shit, shit!

"So..." He chuckled lightly as he stepped out of the bathroom doorway to stand in front of her, "who is this 'sexy ass man' you're freaking out over?"

Feeling her face pale, Del groaned as she covered her face with her hands. If there was a God, he was definitely trying to kill her. Not only had she bumped into Chris again during her mini freak out, he'd also heard everything she said just now.

Fuck...

Chris watched her for a moment before carefully lacing his fingers around her wrists, bringing her hands away from her face. Del bit her lip and tried not to look at him, her face was already burning with embarrassment and his warm, strong hands on her skin just made it worse.

"Y-you heard that?" Del cringed as her voice sounded small and meek. Jesus, if Stephen was here he'd be laughing his ass off.

Chris hummed in affirmation as he rubbed his thumbs over the tops of her hands, watching her. Del felt her stomach tighten with nervousness, his touch making her shoulders tremble slightly. She had to get out of here.

"I...uh didn't mean to barge in. I-I'll just go—" Del stumbled over her words as she tried to turn and leave. Chris slipped his hand just past her waist and put his hand on the door to keep it closed. His other hand reached up to gently cup her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Del blinked in surprise as their eyes locked and there was a moment when his crystal blue eyes searched hers. No matter how bad she tried to look away she couldn't. Her heart was pounding so loud she thought it was going to hammer right out of her chest.

Chris slowly leaned in, brushing his lips with hers. It was questioning and gentle, and Del found herself reaching out to tug his shirt to bring him closer. Chris didn't hesitate as he kissed her again, he teased Del's bottom lip with his tongue as he slid his hand from the door to her waist. She gasped lightly at his touch and when his tongue slipped into caress hers, Del let out a soft moan.

Del kissed him back without thinking, the ache of having someone... No, having Chris touch her was overwhelming. Her body trembled as he pushed her tank top up to expose her side and trace the bare skin there with his fingertips. Del moaned louder as her own hands drifted to the buttons on his shirt, her fingers shaking as she tried to undo them. She managed to get three of them undone before she pulled away, panting.

Chris was panting a little himself, his crystal eyes slightly darker with the heat that shown in their clear depths. Del bit her lip as she looked at his partially exposed chest. What the fuck was she doing? He was going to be leaving soon. She'd probably never see him again. They barely knew each other, and this could seriously just be him using her. That last thought made her pause, holding her breath as she looked at him. Somehow that just didn't seem true.

"Hey," he said softly, slight worry in his eyes, "you're not going to run away from me again are you?" Even his tone was worried like maybe he'd pushed too far and was already regretting it. It was a silly apology without actually saying 'I'm sorry' and Del found herself smiling.

"No. You told me not to run anymore, remember?" Del laced her arms around his neck, letting her fingers run through his messy hair.

Chris looked surprised and then smiled a goofy grin that was charming and too damn cute. "Yes, yes I did say that."

Del nodded and pulled him closer to her, her lips meeting his tentatively before the kiss suddenly deepened again, drawing a groan from Chris.

Del was going to listen to Stephen's advise and kick her brain to the curb for once.


	15. Bedroom Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the tags and the rating on this, since it is starting to get a little steamy. Poor Del, she's having a hell of a time.

This was crazy.

Like the stupid kind of crazy ass shit that Stephen always did and Del never could muster up enough courage too. For instance, she never made out with someone she wasn't already dating. And she certainly never, _ever_ had a one night stand. And she most definitely never kissed anyone as deeply as she had kissed Chris. He was like water in the middle of a dessert she'd been dying in; she couldn't get enough of him.  
  
The most bewildering part about making out with him was that he kissed her back just as deeply. Like he couldn't get enough of her either and that got Del more hot and bothered than she thought possible. For him to want her was...  
  
Del's thoughts were interrupted as something bumped the back of her knees, causing her to suddenly sit down. Letting out a surprised squeak, Del blinked up at Chris. Somehow they had moved away from the door to the bed. She'd managed to get his shirt unbuttoned all the way and it hung open to expose firm muscle as he leaned down to kiss her again. Del's skin felt like it was on fire as he briefly broke their kiss to pull her sheer white over shirt and tank top off.  
  
Realizing that she was now only in her bra and jeans, not really knowing where her shoes had ended up; Del blushed hard. The red flowing from her cheeks up to her ears and down along her neck.  
  
Chris kissed her lips tentatively, a smile playing on his full lips.  
  
"You okay?" His voice was deeper than usual and Del swallowed hard. Her nerves were starting to crumble as she used her arms to cover her chest as much as she could.  
  
"I-I'm okay. It's just...been a really long time." Del whispered, trying not to let her voice shake.  
  
"We can stop if you want. I really didn't intend for it to go this far. I've just wanted to kiss you since I saw you at the coffee shop." Chris gave her a sheepish smile as he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair nervously.  
  
"What? You mean you've wanted to kiss me since I served you coffee?" Del stared, surprise making her blink. No fucking way...  
  
"Yeah. I know that sounds really weird. I swear I don't go around wanting to kiss random people. There's just something about you." Chris ran his fingers through his hair again and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked like a nervous mess and it was so damn adorable that Del giggled.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel any better I don't go kissing random guys either. It's been well over a year since I've kissed anyone or...you know." Del motioned helplessly, hoping he'd get it. Jesus Christ this was embarrassing as all hell.  
  
Chris smiled and sat down next to her on the bed, scooping up her tank top and handing it to her. Del gave him a grateful smile and pulled it on. Now clothed, she felt a little better and not like she was going to die from nervousness.  
  
"I uh, heard from your sister that you're leaving soon." Del sighed softly, she might as well address part of what was bugging her. The rest could wait for the moment.  
  
"Yeah, Zach and I have to be back in L.A. the day after tomorrow. There's still a lot of shooting to do, even though the location stuff is done." Chris took Del's hand and laced his fingers in hers.  
  
"I know it sounds crazy and that you've been freaking out about everything that has been going on lately, but I really like you and I'd like to see where this goes. I won't lie, my schedule is hell with this movie going on. It's going to be tough to see each other but I'd really like to try." Chris's words slowly sunk in as Del looked at their hands laced together.  
  
She thought about her sworn promise of no more relationships and even though her Ex took the cake on being her worst relationship, she wasn't sure if she could handle being the girlfriend of an A-list actor. That aside, when she really thought about it, she liked Chris. He was funny, charming, smart and sexy. He was everything she had ever dreamed of in a guy and yet...she was scared.  
  
What if he found someone else? Would she catch him cheating on her too? Would she read about it in the newspapers? There was shit like that going on all the time and Del didn't think she could take that kind of pain again.  
  
Del fidgeted, biting her lip. Chris brought their hands up and kissed the back of her hand gently. "How about this, I'll make you a deal. You can think about it while I finish the movie. Once I'm done I'll come back and get your answer."  
  
"That's a long time to wait for my answer." Del chuckled sadly and frowned, "Chris, I—"  
  
The loud shuffling of feet interrupted them as someone bumped into the wall just outside the bedroom. Del and Chris looked towards the door. Del started to panic as the door handle suddenly turned and two people stumbled in, slamming the door behind them. Del couldn't see who it was since the room was dark, but by the sounds and their dark forms whoever it was was having a good time making out.  
  
Chris leaned over and switched on the bedside lamp to illuminate the room. Del let out a startled gasp as the two who just entered turned to look at them.  
  
"Well, shit..." Zach said, his voice a bit out of breath, "Sorry, I thought this was my room."  
  
Del's mouth dropped open as Stephen blinked, seeing Chris and her sitting on the bed.  
  
"Uh, Hey Del... Fancy meeting you here." Stephen gave her a little playful grin as he let his armrest around Zach's hips.  
  
What. The. Fuck?!


	16. Decision Made

"Stephen...?" Del starred stupefied as Stephen laughed, somewhat forced.  
  
"Sorry, we'll uh, let you get back to..." Stephen's eyes darted to Chris and then to the bed they were sitting on, then back to Del. All embarrassment had gone from his face, a knowing smirk took over and Del narrowed her eyes with a silent threat. If he said what his face as clearing saying, she would kick his Queenie ass right here.  
  
Zachary, or Zach as it were, also realized that Chris and Del were sitting on a bed and he grinned as Chris shook his head in silent defense.  
  
"Yeah...we'll let you two get back to whatever it...was you were doing." Zach snickered as he left the room with Stephen in tow, who cast one last look over his shoulder at Del, giving her a thumbs up.  
  
The door shut leaving Chris and Del alone again and she groaned, rubbing her temples. "That little fucking liar, I knew there was someone."  
  
"Really? How'd you figure that out? Zach said he hadn't told you." Chris gave a sheepish smile, "Not that you shouldn't know, but I'm just surprised."  
  
Del sighed and smiled at him, "We've been best friends since pre-school. I know everything there is to know about him, including when he's got a new boy toy. I thought I was crazy for thinking that they might have had a thing going on. Turns out, I'm not that crazy after all."  
  
They both chuckled and then Del gave him a pointed look, a smirk playing on her lips. "So, since I now know what they have been doing for two weeks, mind explaining why I didn't hear from you for that long? Clearly, they were hanging out...a lot."  
  
Chris blinked a little, his ears turning slightly red as he gave his best neutral face, "Well, after the last couple of times you seemed... I didn't want to scare you away. In my defense, you tend to run away as much as you apologize." He grinned and Del rolled her eyes, huffing.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm working on that." Del frowned a little as she bit her lip. The problem still remained that he was leaving and though he said he would come back for her answer, as far as actually dating... Well, she felt like that he would change his mind. Hell, she might too...maybe.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"How long, what?" Chris blinked, his crystal blue eyes confused as Del turned to him.  
  
"How long until you finish the movie and come back?" Del's stomach was suddenly doing flips and she cursed how quiet her voice sounded.  
  
"A few months if everything stays on schedule." His face was completely serious, just a hint of sadness there. Del let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
"That's a long time to wait for my answer," Del said again, frowning. Chris nodded and took her hand again, rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand.  
  
"I know."  
  
Del fidgeted a little; if he was leaving and there was a strong possibility that she wouldn't see him again... Let's be honest since she met him her life had become a series of weird, fun, surprises. But the reality was, they were world's apart and if all she managed to walk away with was these memories of happiness for the rest of her life; well, that would just have to do.  
  
Del looked at Chris, her green eyes trying to take in as much detail as possible.  
  
"How about instead of a promise to come back, we just...enjoy this. Whatever this is?"  
  
Chris's thumb stilled, "Do you not trust me to come back?"  
  
His voice was quiet and Del smiled softly, "It's not that. I like you, a lot... Probably more than I should. But I have a bad track record with guys in general. I've been let down so many times now, that I've sworn a solum oath over a pint of Ben and Jerry's to not have another relationship." Del blushed as she spoke. It sounded really stupid when she said it out loud. Who the hell swears to ice cream that they'll never date again? Someone who obviously puts too much focus on food. Ugh.  
  
Chris chuckled and let her hand go, the loss of warmth was sudden and Del found herself missing it.  
  
"Alright, I can respect that. So what do we do now?"  
  
Del bit her lip again, her stomach tightening. Somewhere in the back of her mind she already made the decision, she just needed to push herself to follow through and not hate herself in the morning.  
  
Del took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
  
Reaching out, she leaned towards Chris and stroked his rough, prickly face with her hand and kissed him. Del let everything she was feeling go into that kiss, her nervousness, how much she wanted him, how she wanted to be treated as special; even the pain that in the morning she'd be gone and never see him again.  
  
Chris stilled for a moment, surprised that she was kissing him. Del's skin flushed as he rubbed his hands over her thighs and up her hips. She nibbled his bottom lip, making him breathe in sharply before letting out a deep groan. Del kissed him deeper, letting her tongue explore his mouth. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him backward, down onto the bed.


	17. Together

Their making out session may have started slow and gotten interrupted, but what came next had Del trembling right down to her core. It had been so long since she had sex that there was a moment of pure, breathless panic about what was coming.  
  
Chris kissed her neck, following its curve down to her collarbone and drawing a deep moan from Del. The panic she felt a moment ago, simply faded away as his hands crept up her shirt to massage her breast.  
  
Del bit her lip as she ran her fingers through his messy hair, before pulling his unbuttoned shirt all the way off. Her shirt soon followed, his hands running down her body to undo her jeans. With a little help from Del, it wasn't long before they were off along with her bra.  
  
The moment her breasts were exposed, Chris kissed them. Taking one taut nipple into his mouth, he let his tongue tease and caress it as his other hand massaged her other breast. Del moaned louder as his teeth gently grazed the sensitive hardness.  
  
She ran her hands through his hair and over his shoulders. Hard muscle shifted and moved under her hands and Del felt the urgent need to have him take her. She was soaking wet through her panties and the fabric that was left was just teasing her more as Chris kissed lower to her belly.  
  
Del shivered at his touch and sat up a little so she could cup his face. Bringing his lips to hers, she kissed him deeply, earning her another deep groan from him. Del nibbled his lip teasingly, loving the sound of his desire.  
  
Tentatively, she reached down and undid his shorts. Without hesitation, Chris pulled them off along with his boxers. Del caught sight of his hardness briefly before they were back to kissing, both of their hands roaming over each other.  
  
It took Del several mental shakes to get her hands to do what she wanted. She was shy, a little overweight and the more he kissed her the more nervous she was getting. Chris noticed and pulled back, breathing just as heavy as her.  
  
"Are you—?"  
  
Chris's words ended abruptly as Del wrapped her hand around his hardness, stroking him with her hand. Moaning, Chris cupped her face and leaned them back down onto the bed. Del moaned as the tip of him brushed against her wet panties as she stroked his length. He was a lot wider than she was expecting and just the feel of him in her hand had her whimpering for him.  
  
Del wanted him so badly, her skin was flushed and her abdomen was tight with need. She couldn't remember if foreplay had always been this amazing. Something told her that it was because it was Chris and that she'd never feel this way with anyone else again.  
  
Without a word, Chris pulled back a little and slipped Del's panties off, tossing them unceremoniously on the floor with the rest of their clothes. A moment later, Del gasped as Chris slipped down her body and licked her wet folds. His tongue teased her clit and lapped up her wetness, driving Del crazy as she bucked her hips involuntarily.  
  
Chris traced his hands over her thick thighs, he wanted to take his time but the need was getting to be too much. Del moaned louder as he sucked on her swollen folds, making her tremble all over.  
  
Quickly, Chris kissed his way back up her belly, over her breasts and back to her lips. Tasting herself in his mouth was a new experience for Del and she found that it wasn't at all unpleasant. Chris pulled back, breaking their kiss.  
  
"Wait right here, okay?" His voice was breathy, but his tone sounded like he was really worried she'd run the moment he left her. Del giggled, high on the endorphins pumping through her body.  
  
"Okay." She said, still giggling. Chris grinned at her and got up to disappear into the bathroom, a moment later he was back with a condom in his hand. Del smiled, relieved that someone was thinking because if she was honest, a condom was the last thing on her mind.  
  
Chris tore the package open and climbed back into the bed. Del ran her hands over his body, loving the feel of him and missing his touch, if only for the moment.  
  
Chris wasted no time putting on the condom, kissing Del deeply once it was in place. Del felt her body tighten with anticipation as they laid down once more. Chris slipped his hand between them, fingertips caressing her wetness. Del moaned into their kiss, and when Chris positioned himself between her thighs, the tip of his hardness pressing against her opening; Chris moaned too.  
  
Slowly, he pushed himself into her, filling her completely. Her tightness made Chris shiver as he began to thrust in and out. Del wrapped her arms and legs around him, feeling every movement, their passionate moans mixing together as he began to thrust harder.  
  
Del felt the oncoming climax as his hips thrust against her, she worried for a brief moment that they were being too loud, but that thought died as quickly as it came. The deep ache that Del had, had for so long seemed to find relief as Chris kissed her neck and thrust himself harder and deeper into her core.  
  
Del let out a half scream of passion as she came, raking her nails down Chris back as she tried to hang on. Chris came a moment later, his own passionate voice joining hers. Giving one last thrust as their mouths found each other again.  
  
Del wished, not for the first time since meeting Chris, that this moment would never end.


	18. Fate Is A Heartless Bitch

Del was panicking.  
  
Like _really_ fucking panicking.  
  
After they had sex they had snuggled into the covers, completely not caring about the party outside. Night had fallen as the hours ticked away. They talked about everything and anything. Like how Del's mom had died in a drunk driving accident and how Chris had a degree in English. They talked about their dreams, their failures, past relationships. Even talked about their childhood pets, hers being a rabbit named Gizmo and his being a dog named Candy.  
  
He caressed her body, giving her delicious shivers and she nibbled his ear, drawing a breathy groan from him. Del found herself getting lost in the moment again and suddenly Chris was moaning in her ear as he thrust into her. His body spooned against hers as he slid in and out, arms holding her so close. She almost cried as she came, the knowledge that no one was going to take his place. In her mind, in her heart...it was too much.  
  
And that's when the panic seeped it.  
  
The wee hours of the morning had come and Chris had fallen asleep. The party outside had ended, at least that's how Del figured it since the music had stopped. She laid awake, watching him sleep. His perfect features peaceful and soft, even with the ruggedness of his face. Del's heart broke as she watched him. She probably wouldn't see him again, despite what he said about coming back and them becoming a couple. She wanted to believe he would come back, wanted to be with him...  
  
But she knew deep down, guys like him just didn't date girls like her.  
  
She was the friend, the caring one, the doormat. As much as it pained her, she accepted that fact a long time ago. This was a goodbye. A wonderful memory that she would cherish forever.  
  
Del kissed his cheek gently, he stirred for a moment before becoming still again, his deep even breaths making her smile sadly.  
  
"Goodbye, Chris," Del whispered so softly, the words barely registering in the room.  
  
Carefully, she slipped out of bed and got dressed. Most of her clothes were in a pile and she managed to find her shoes near the door. She tiptoed out the bedroom door, closing it behind her softly. The door never even squeaked.  
  
Cautiously, Del made her way down the hallway and down the stairs. She needed to find Stephen and get the fuck out of her. She couldn't stay here anymore, she had to leave before...before she had a panic attack or a mental break down. Whichever came first.  
  
The mansion was still and seemingly empty as Del made her way through it. She had a deep suspicion that Stephen was still with Zach somewhere in the house, but she didn't want to chance waking up Chris.  
  
Del chewed on her thumbnail, her nerves wound up so tight she paced in the large living room. As she was trying to figure out if she could afford a cab down the mountain, Stephen appeared in the entryway to the living room.  
  
Del looked up, slightly startled as he approached her. He looked happy and relaxed; his green polo was rumpled along with his shorts and his hair was a complete mess. He gave her his best grin and when she gave him a sad smile, his grin disappeared.  
  
"Del? What's wrong?" He whispered quietly, and Del found herself fighting back tears.  
  
"C-can we go home? I want to go home." Del hugged her arms around herself and Stephen blinked at her, concern showing on his face.  
  
"Yeah. We can go home. Is everything okay? I thought you and Chris...?" Stephen frowned, anger creasing his brow and Del rapidly shook her head.  
  
"No, nothing bad happened. I just... Stephen, I... I really need to get out of here." Del felt the panic rise and it coated her words. Stephen's face relaxed a little and he nodded.  
  
"Come on, let's go."  
  
Stephen slipped his arm around her protectively as they quietly left. Without words, they both climbed into his old Honda and drove away. Stephen glanced at her a few times as he drove, but didn't say anything. For which Del was grateful. Her heart hurt, a deep pain that couldn't be soothed. Even her ex and his bullshit hadn't made her feel this bad.  
  
Did she do the wrong thing?  
  
Should she go back?  
  
The questions were endless and Del found herself looking out the window, a slow stream of tears slipping down her face. Del thought back through everything that happened since she first met Chris. They hadn't been around each other long, but it was like he was part of her now. Like a part of her life, she always thought was missing suddenly appeared. He was everything she wished for if only to herself. Yet she felt undeserving, like she'd been shown a great gift and knew that it wasn't for her.  
  
He needed someone who fit his life, someone who would make him happy. Del, as much as she wanted to be that someone, knew that she just didn't belong with him.  
  
And yet...  
  
She knew that she couldn't belong to anyone else.  
  
Maybe her sworn oath over that pint of Ben and Jerry's wasn't too far off the mark. Maybe it was fate agreeing with her that she wouldn't have another relationship and she met Chris because fate was a heartless bitch who liked to fuck with people.  
  
Yeah...  
  
That sounded about right...


	19. The Sprinkles Proclamation

The drive back to Reno took longer than it originally did to get to the party. Del never understood how driving trips were like that, maybe it was a good thing though. As they drove through the winding wooded highway, Del was deep into her thoughts. So much so, that she didn't realize Stephen was talking to her.  
  
"Del... Earth to Del." He said, glancing at her. She still hadn't heard him, her eyes focused out the window. Stephen leaned over and pinched the side of her knee, hard. Del let out a startled squeak, snapping her head around as she jumped to glare at Stephen.  
  
"What the fuck is your problem?!" She yelled, more startled than anything, but it came out sounding angry. Which was better than sounding like a blubbering idiot as far as she was concerned.  
  
Stephen gave her a sly smirk, "Welcome back to Earth, Ditzy. How was your trip?"  
  
His tone was playful but overly sarcastic.  
  
Del rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and wiggling down into her seat. She was a little sore from...well, just sore. Del shivered involuntarily as her body clearly remembered what had just happened only a few hours ago. Stephen watched her out of the corner of his eye and his smirk melted into a soft smile.  
  
"So," he said casually as they finally hit the city limits of Reno, the bright city lights creating a misty haze, "Denny's?"  
  
Del scoffed, "It's like three in the morning Stephen, we have work in a few hours."  
  
Stephen nodded as he plopped his elbow up on the window seal and continued to drive with one hand. The traffic was pretty much nothing this time in the morning and he drove them down the highway with ease, resting his face on his fist as he drove.  
  
"True, but I'm pretty sure you didn't eat yesterday and hell, I'm starving myself after all the fun I had." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she chuckled.  
  
"Well... You have a lot of explaining to do. Seriously, did you think I hadn't noticed you were acting weird for two weeks?" Del narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned.  
  
"Nah, I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later."  
  
"You bet your ass I would have," Del said, smirking.  
  
"Yeah, well you can bet your ass, sweet cheeks, that you're gonna spill your guts over a mug of coffee and a sunrise special if I have to give you personal details of my sex life."  
  
Del groaned and tried to scoot down into her seat to try a disappear. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Stephen eyed her for a moment, silence filling the car as he took the off-ramp that led to Denny's.  
  
"Well darlin', I reckon you don't have a choice, being as how we're friends and all." Stephen's old west accent was on point and it made Del smile a little. He even dropped his voice an octave so it sounded heartier and richer.  
  
"Don't think you can sweet talk me, cowboy," Del said in her best impression of a rough and tough damsel.  
  
Stephen snickered as they pulled into the parking lot, the huge Denny's sign glowing with the force of a thousand suns to illuminate the lot. Once they parked, Stephen turned off the car and turned to face Del completely. He hadn't bothered to fix his hair and his hazel eyes were bright and happy, an edge of concern just barely readable.  
  
"Delany Morris, I'm invoking the Sprinkles Proclamation."  
  
Del sat up, surprise and horror on her face, "You bastard, no!"  
  
"Yep." He smirked, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
Del groaned, running her fingers through her hair. The Sprinkles Proclamation was the name they had given to their 'super secret girl talks, that if any word of it was repeated was punishable by death'. It started when they were in elementary school and as they got older it stuck with them. They came up with the name over a binge ice cream night when they were twelve and Del had slept over at his house. Other than the 'no repeating rule' there was only one other rule. If someone formerly invoked the Sprinkles Proclamation, the other person had to spill their guts and be completely truthful.  
  
Sadly, that rule was added when Stephen started using drugs heavily. Del had come up with it in order to keep a better handle on what was going on. Just in case she had to call an ambulance or something. Thankfully, it never came to that, but the rule stood still.  
  
"Goddamnit Stephen," Del grumbled, sighing heavily as she opened her door.  
  
Stephen giggled like a little girl with glee as he got out as well, "Hey, no taking the Lord's name in vain. It's like bad luck or something."  
  
"You ass, you know it's a sin. You went to Mass as much as any good Catholic boy did when he was younger." Del laughed, shaking her head.  
  
"Hey!" Stephen said, sounding scared and slightly embarrassed as he slung his arm around her shoulders to pull her in close, "Shhhh, they're still looking for me. Nuns can be anywhere."  
  
Del busted up laughing at his seriousness and Stephen gave her a warm smile. "There it is, there's my Del."  
  
Stephen kissed her forehead as Del stopped laughing, a smile still on her face. "You're a weirdo."  
  
"Yes, but I'm your weirdo, so it's totally okay." He grinned and walked them both to the door to the restaurant. Del felt her insides were like jello and she didn't know how she was going to explain anything to Stephen. But one thing was for sure if they were pulling an all-nighter, she was definitely going to find out more about what went on with Zachary Quinto.


	20. Mistakes vs. Fears

There happens to be something about Denny's and its ability to lend shelter to even the most fucked up passer though. During daytime hours, it's home to many families and co-workers looking for that cheap meal with a generic family restaurant feel to it. After midnight though, especially on an early Monday morning, it catered to a different crowd. There was the group of college kids attempting an all-nighter with coffee and mounds of books; a few drunk friends attempting to sober up before heading home; and of course, the questionable woman with a tired look, low cut shirt and jean shorts too short to be comfortable in public.  
  
Del people watched as the waitress, an overly friendly woman with greying hair, poured them two cups of coffee and took their orders. It had been a very long time since they had come here. While it still had the same layout, it felt different. She wasn't part of that world anymore where her mom worked long hard hours and Del was just trying to graduate with enough high marks to get a scholarship to the community college.  
  
That was before Del's mom died, hit by a drunk driver on the highway. It didn't seem that long ago, but it was.  
  
Stephen watched Del as she doctored her coffee with her usual three sugars and four little cups of creamer. He sipped his own coffee, liking the bitter black taste uninhibited by sugar and cream.  
  
"This place reminds me of mom," Del said, taking a small sip.  
  
Stephen nodded and smiled gently, "Me too. Your mom was like a second mom to me. She always used to pick us up here, remember?"  
  
Del smiled and nodded, "Yeah, she always laughed at us when we told her about all the wild shit that went on here. Like that time you made out with that guy in the back booth."  
  
"Hey, he was hot. Or at least I thought he was, I was pretty high when we made out." Stephen shrugged and took another sip of his coffee and Del smiled, glad that he was able to talk about those days so nonchalantly. It was a good sign.  
  
"So," Stephen said, a charming sly smile on his lips, "in honor of our long lost Denny's Days and the Sprinkles Proclamation, you best tell me what's on your mind before you fuck up and make another stupid mistake."  
  
Del frowned, playing with her cup as she stared at the milky color of her coffee.  
  
"I'm not fucking up anything, it's just not going to work." She sounded sad, even to herself and Del forced herself to look at Stephen.  
  
"He said he likes me, and that he wanted to kiss me since he first saw me at work." She looked like she didn't believe it, but her voice wavered with feared hope.  
  
Stephen sat forward, elbow on the table with his chin resting in his hand.  
  
"So did you kiss him?"  
  
"Yes." Del bit her lip.  
  
"Did you sleep with him?"  
  
Del blushed all the way to her ears, "Stephen..." She groaned.  
  
"Del..." He groaned right back at her and she looked down at her coffee.  
  
"Y-yes."  
  
"Ha! I knew it!"  
  
"Shhh! Not so loud damnit." Del kicked him under the table, and he jumped, laughing.  
  
"Aw come on, we should celebrate or something."  
  
Del rolled her eyes, "What? Celebrate my stupidity? No thank you."  
  
Del took another sip of her coffee, going back to watching the few patrons they shared the space with. Her nerves were completely fried and her head and her heart just couldn't agree on the situation as a whole.  
  
"How are you stupid?" Stephen said after a moment, all humor gone from his face. He was completely serious as he took a sip of his own coffee.  
  
"I barely know him, Stephen." She gave him her best 'that sums it up' look.  
  
"So?"  
  
Del stared at him, "I slept with him. He's...he's amazing and I'm just—."  
  
"Just what?" Stephen raised a brow at her, his voice slightly deeper than usual. Del frowned at bit her lip.  
  
"Guys like that don't date girls like me. He's famous for fuck's sake. I work in a coffee shop and can hardly afford to buy food. I'm overweight and Jesus Christ, I swear he has the body of a fucking Greek god or something." Del huffed the last part of her sentence out, a mixture of anger at herself and sadness at the situation.  
  
"I mean...he's leaving." She finished quietly.  
  
"Okay, who says guys like 'him' don't date girls like 'you'? If Dip Shit hadn't of cheated on you so many times maybe he would have seen what an amazing person you are. And who cares that he's famous? He doesn't act like it. He doesn't seem self-centered at all, in fact, he's more down to earth than Zachary. If Zachary was straight the world over would be crawling on its knees." Stephen smirked and there was a little glint in his eye.  
  
Del rolled her eyes, "Seriously?" Taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Stephen gave her his best devil may care smirk, "I speak from experience of course."  
  
Del just about spit out her coffee and ended up choking. Coughing a bit, she managed to catch her breath after a moment, "Good god, I don't need to know that! Besides you haven't even told me about the last two weeks and how you guys ended up an item."  
  
Stephen chuckled and shrugged, "We aren't talking about me right now, we are talking about you, sweet cheeks."  
  
"Again, he's leaving," Del said, firmly as she started wiping up her mess.  
  
"And?"  
  
"He said... He said he'd give me till the movie shoot was over and then come back for my answer, in three months. He asked me out, kind of." Del frowned and tossed her used napkin to the side.  
  
"Okay, and let me guess, you think he's full of shit." Stephen shook his head.  
  
"No, I think he is serious." Del looked at him with a panicked look.  
  
"Aaand, that's a bad thing?"  
  
"What if he meets someone in California while he's working? What if we do end up dating and he realizes how out of place I am in the Hollywood scene? What if he cheats on me? I can't take that again, always wondering if I'm going to find him screwing some bimbo on my kitchen table or in our bed. Shit like that ends up in the news." Del gritted her teeth as she spoke, tears welling up. Old pain creeping in and making her doubt ten times worse.  
  
"What if he doesn't?"  
  
"What?" Del blinked at him. Stephen smiled gently at her, taking another sip of his coffee.  
  
"What if he doesn't do any of those things and you let him go? What if this is your chance at happiness? I'm not saying it will be all sunshine and roses, no relationship is. But what if he treats you like you were meant to be treated. You're not a doormat Delany, you're just you. And you happen to be a very caring person, with everyone. It tends to backfire on you a lot, I'll give you that. But you're like your mom, no matter how the world treats you, you try to find a silver lining no matter how small. That is nothing to sneer at or knock down."  
  
Del stared, a small tear escaping the corner of her eye. She was at a loss for words, her heart was pounding and it took every bit of her strength to not let her hands tremble.  
  
Stephen winked at her and sipped his coffee as the waitress came back with their early bird specials and another round of coffee. Del felt like she was in a daze as the waitress placed her food in front of her and asked if they needed anything else. Stephen chatted with her for a moment, giving Del a moment to collect herself.  
  
What if Chris did really want to date her? What if they could become a couple? What if he never cheated on her? What if he...  
  
Del felt another tear slip down her face, suddenly she wanted to run out the door and drive back to Tahoe. She wanted to bury her face in Chris's chest and ball her eyes out.  
  
Did she make a horrible mistake?


	21. Stephenachary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Deersexual. You wanted more Stephen and Zachary getting cuddly. I hope this makes your day! ^_^

Del had left the table to go to the bathroom, it was only a couple of hours until they had to be at work and the emotional highs and lows of the night were wearing on her. She took care of business and then splashed cold water on her face in an effort to wash away some of the anxiety. Even though Stephen had chatted with the waitress to give Del so time to collect herself, it just wasn't enough.  
  
The early bird special would have to wait.  
  
Del sighed as she dried her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Other than the tired look in her green eyes, her skin was practically glowing. She had a small dribble of coffee on her tank top and she sighed. Despite what Stephen said, she just didn't see it working out. Fairytale happiness was for children, and she had given up on that long ago. She allowed herself to pretend for a moment that they really were a couple and that he loved her. Del swallowed hard, a pain aching in her chest.  
  
It was stupid to pretend. She liked him a lot and sleeping together had her feel like she was teetering on the edge of the dreaded four-letter word—which she refused to acknowledge.  
  
Del slapped her cheeks and gave herself a firm look in the mirror.  
  
"Alright, no more thinking about this mess of shit. You're going to go out there, eat your food and beat Stephen into talking about Zachary Quinto damnit."  
  
Exiting the bathroom Del walked back to their table. Her breakfast was still waiting for her and she sat down. Stephen had already eaten half of his and was sipping a new cup of coffee.  
  
"Feel better?" He asked and Del nodded, taking a hasty bite of scrambled eggs.  
  
She was starving and ended up scarfing down almost all of her food before she realized she was eating too fast and her stomach was starting to protest. Setting her fork down she motioned to Stephen, who had just finished his last bite of toast.  
  
"Alright Queenie, spill it. How did you and Zach manage to hook up?"  
  
Stephen gave her a boyish smile, "Hey, who says I have to tell you?"  
  
"Nice try, cough it up." Glaring, she took a sip of her coffee.  
  
Stephen shrugged and looked out the window a moment, it was still dark outside even though the sun was fast approaching.  
  
"Well, you remember I gave my number to your boyfriend since you don't have a cell phone. Seriously, you need to fix that." He gave her a pointed look and Del glared at him harder.  
  
"Seriously, he's not my boyfriend. Continue..."  
  
Stephen grinned, "Well, it seems that Chris was doing a little freaking out himself after your little trip to the Circus. He talked to Zachary extensively about you and after giving him my number he wasn't sure if he should take you out on a date or do something different. He was a little worried when you kept freaking out."  
  
Stephen chuckled and Del groaned, "I asked about you and Zach, not about Chris."  
  
Del couldn't deny the flip her heart had done, hearing that Chris was doing his own little freak out session. It actually made her feel a little better.  
  
"Right," Stephen nodded and grinned, "Zachary got my number from Chris because he was really curious about what type of person you were. He was honestly just looking out for his friend, worried you were pulling a fast one. I guess it's happened before to some other friends of his. We met up and talked about you two for hours and the next thing I know, we were talking about other things."  
  
Stephen's eyes were shimmering and Del recognized the look immediately. Stephen tended to fall head over heels rather easily, just like Del. However, where Del was cautious and a little pessimistic due to previous bad relationships; Stephen tended to accept how he felt about someone without question and just go with the flow. It was one of the things Del wished she could do.  
  
"So you guys...?" Del let her words hang and Stephen rolled his eyes.  
  
"No, last night was the first time we hooked up, just like you and Mr. Wonderful. But, I'll tell you something you probably don't know."  
  
"Oh?" Del sipped her coffee, eyebrow raised.  
  
Stephen nodded and leaned in, whispering softly as he looked at Del, "I'm just as scared as you about what that means."  
  
Del blinked, but before she could say anything, Stephen stood and grinned at her.  
  
"Come on, we've got work and we both need to shower. Mind if I shower at your place? I've still got a change of clothes there right?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Del stood hastily and followed Stephen to the counter. Their waitress met them up front as Stephen paid for their food. Del's brain was trying to make the switch from their conversation to work, but she was kind of failing. Stephen never voiced his worry when it came to guys he dated. If they treated him badly, which they almost always did, he just seemed to brush it off and carry on.  
  
Del frowned as they walked outside, deep in her thoughts as they got into the car. It wasn't until they started driving towards Del's apartment that she looked at Stephen.  
  
"So you like him then? I don't remember you ever telling me you were scared of any relationship before. That must mean you aren't just crushing on him... Right?"  
  
Stephen's face was completely blank as he drove, after a moment he finally spoke.  
  
"It may have started out as a crush. You know, like those stupid ones you get in high school or middle school. But I don't know, these last couple of weeks I just feel good. Like really good. I'm fucking happy when I'm with him. He's smart, kind of an ass—but not in a bad way. He's not just some character, he's a real person and fuck if I know how it all happened. Especially us hooking up. But I'd be lying if I didn't want more of him, more of 'us'. It's weird feeling this way, but I like it."  
  
Del's heart was pounding, she felt the same way about Chris. She bit her lip as she asked the next question, fearing she may hurt him somehow by asking.  
  
"Do you think he feels the same way? I mean...he could have anyone he wanted." Del almost whispered.  
  
Stephen glanced at her, a soft smile on his face as he parked in front of her apartment.  
  
"I think maybe he does. He didn't confess his undying love for me. But I just don't feel that it's one-sided, it just couldn't be."  
  
Del nodded and fell quiet. The two of them got out of the car and walked up the seven flights of stairs to her apartment. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it was clear while Del was wrapped up in her thoughts, he was wrapped up in his  
  
An hour later they were both showered, dressed in their work attire and back in the car. When Del walked in the mornings, it was normally quick, the drive was even faster and Del chuckled to herself about it. Stephen parked the car at the end of the street and around the corner. There wasn't any close parking, so they'd walk the short distance down the alley.  
  
They were still silent as they entered, Del putting her bag away in the back room as Stephen headed up front to turn on the lights and start the machines brewing. As Del began tying on her apron, she heard Stephen unlock the front door.  
  
"What the hell is he doing?" Del said to herself softly, they didn't open the front until six sharp, as was the rule set by Peter, the owner, and their boss. Del made her way out from the back and towards the front.  
  
"Stephen, what are you doing opening the door so early? It's not even six—."  
  
Del's words died as her heart skipped a beat. There, just inside the door stood Chris, his hair combed back and a little damp like he'd gotten out of the shower not that long ago. He had on jeans, a black t-shirt and a tan leather jacket. Next to him was Zachary Quinto, who had eyes for no one but Stephen.  
  
Stephen looked just as surprised as Del felt and they both exchanged a glance as Zachary smirked, giving Del a knowing look.  
  
"I think," Zach said rather casually, "that you've started to rub off on your friend."  
  
"What?" Del blinked in surprise as Chris chuckled.  
  
Zachary turned and walked up to Stephen, the two men very close in their heights and yet where Stephen was blonde with soft features, Zachary was dark hair and sharp ones.  
  
"You didn't say goodbye. You didn't think I'd be happy with that did you?" Stephen shivered involuntarily as Zachary slipped his hands around the other man's hips to pull in close.  
  
Stephen stared a little wide-eyed at him and Del's heart was overcome with joy seeing her best friend so rattled.  
  
"I-I didn't know how to say goodbye," Stephen whispered. Zachary smiled gently, cupping his face and kissing him deeply. It was at this time that Del felt a warm, strong hand slip around her waist causing her to jump and look up at Chris who was smiling.  
  
"Come on, let's talk."  
  
Del swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her ears as he led her to the back room. What the fuck was she going to say? What the fuck was he going to say? Why did he have to smell so good? Why did he have to feel so...  
  
Del came to the sudden realization that she was screwed...  
  
So very, very screwed...


	22. Goodbye

Chris shut the door to the back room once they were inside, giving them complete privacy. Del fidgeted in the small enclosed space of the stock room. The shelves were lined with boxes of supplies, and Del did her best to focus on them instead of Chris. Which proved to be a bigger fucking strain than she thought it would be.

"Del, look at me." Chris stepped closer and Del swallowed hard as she stuffed her hands in the front of her apron. It was no use, she bit her lip slightly as she looked at him. His eyes were so blue and clear, and Del's heart started to pound from their intensity.

"Chris, what are you— I mean not that I'm not... I mean..." Del stumbled over her words and Chris gave her a bemused grin that was just too damn good looking on him.

"You sound star struck again." He teased as he pressed closer to her, his hands coming up to rest on her hips. Del jumped a little at the feel of his hands and she shivered. Fighting through her body and clearly what it wanted, she snorted.

"Nope. After sleeping in the same bed as you, the shine has wore off." She smirked, teasing him back and trying to get a grip on herself at the same time. Why the hell did he make her feel so...

"Oh really?" He gave her a smirk of his own and Del felt something low tighten in her gut. Ugh, she really needed to focus. The air felt thick and Del could feel a small trickle of sweat from her nerves slip down her neck.

"Seriously, what are you doing here? You're kind of ruining my plans for self preservation here." Her voice serious and slightly hard.

Chris blinked and raised a brow, "Self preservation?"

"Yeah." Del nodded and stepped back a little to try and create some distance. Chris let his hands drop from her hips, allowing Del to take a breath that wasn't completely filled with his scent. She had to admit though, the coffee and smell of his shampoo was intoxicating. Like her own personally crafted drug.

Jesus, she had it bad. This needed to stop, they needed to stop. She didn't want to fall so hard for someone who just hadn't realized how wrong she was for him. Del's heart hurt as she clenched her hands into fists inside her apron. Despite what Stephen had said, despite what everyone had said; she just couldn't see this working out. Even if she had three months to think about it, it wasn't going to change anything.

Ordinary people, correction—poor, damaged, ordinary people did not get happy endings. Fuck on toast, this was already hurting a thousand times worse than leaving her ex.

Chris's face grew concerned as he took in Del's expression.

"Oh no, I know that look. No more running." His voice was light, but he was serious and Del offered up a soft, pain filled smile.

"Chris, think about it." She motioned between them with her hand, "There's no way this is going to work. You're fucking famous! I'm not even sure how you're getting around without being mobbed twenty-four-seven. I'm just a woman who works at a coffee shop that can barely afford to pay her bills."

"Okay, so?" He said, watching Del as her mouth fell open in surprise.

"So? So!? What do you mean so?! That's like the entire point! I mean I understand that you want to date me, though I'm not sure why. But you could have anyone you wanted! There's no guarantee that you'll still want me, let alone think of me after you get back to California."

Chris huffed, "Why are you saying that? Of course I will, I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't serious. I don't sleep around with random women. I could have anyone I want, but I don't want anyone. I just want you Delany."

Del felt her eyes sting as tears started to well up, a lump was forming in her throat threatening to make her sob. Her breath trembled as she stared at him.

"Love doesn't happen at first sight Chris. Fairy tales and magic don't happen in the real world."

Chris looked like he'd been slapped in the face and Del's heart broke. She was fucking positive there hadn't been anymore to break, but she was wrong. There was a much, larger piece still left and now it was in pieces watching his face.

After a moment Chris got his face under control, rolling his shoulders slightly from the tension.

"Alright. I'm not going to push you Del. I don't want to do that to you, you deserve better. If you really feel that I'm too good for you or not good enough, okay." His voice was gentle as he spoke.

Del blinked, a few tears falling down her face. Chris watched them glide down. Carefully he reached out his hand and wiped one away with his thumb, caressing her face softly for a moment. She bit her trembling lip, fucking Christ why did this have to hurt so much?

"But," he said, his voice soft yet firm, "if you change your mind, I'll be waiting. When that happens, I'll never let you run away again. Ever."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, sending more tears down her face. It was soft, gentle, warm and made her legs feel like a sack of wet fucking noodles.

This was for the best. Really. He was too good for her, but mostly she wasn't good enough for him. Del closed her eyes, her heart hammering away when she felt Chris whisper into her ear.

"Goodbye, Delany."

Del heard Chris leave the tiny stock room, the door clicking shut behind him. A moment later she found herself sobbing on the floor. She wrapped her arms around herself as she cried. That goodbye was so filled with emotion Del thought she'd die just from hearing it.

She'd be the first person in the history of the world to die from a simple greeting and a simple goodbye.

There was only one word that seemed to sum up this horrible feeling and depressing situation...

"Fuck..." She sobbed to the shelves of coffee shop supplies.

Fuck.


	23. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is getting a little heavy, but I swear it's only for the moment. 
> 
> I've also been toying with the idea of doing this story strictly from Stephen and Zachary's point of view (thanks Deersexual for the inspiration for that idea ^_^). Since this is mostly from Del's. 
> 
> So if that's something you're all interested in I'm willing to give it a go. 
> 
> As always, thank you guys for reading, leaving comments and Kudos! It's totally appreciated!

There was a soft knock on the door followed by Stephen's voice.

"Del?" The door opened a second later and Del's body shuddered heavily, raking another sob from her.

Stephen was by her side in a second, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, it's okay. What happened? Talk to me Del." His worried voice made her cry harder as she tried to talk through her tears.

"I... I did what I— what I had to do. H-he's gone."

Stephen stilled for a moment and then sighed as he hugged her harder. The two were silent for a while, until Del finally managed to stop crying.

"W-where's Zach?"

"He's uh... He's at my place right now." Stephen looked a little shy and Del half laughed, half sobbed.

"Seriously? I thought you guys were making out in the front." Del chuckled lightly as Stephen stood and helped her to her feet.

"Well, I'm not saying we didn't. But we have a lot of things to talk about before he leaves."

Del nodded and dried her eyes with her apron. Stephen handed her the box of tissues they had on one of the shelves. Taking a few she smiled in thanks, and blew her nose.

"Well, I must say..." Stephen eyed her for a moment before leaning casually up against one of the shelves of supplies, "Your blunders know no bounds."

Del frowned as she wiped her nose.

"Seriously? You want to make me feel even more like shit right now?" Pissed off, she tossed her tissue into a nearby trash can.

"Hey, you can get pissed all you want, but you fucked up here Del. He looked like you ripped his heart out when he left. What the fuck did you say to him?" Stephen crossed his arms, getting just as pissed off.

"I told him the truth. It wasn't going to work!" She yelled.

"Jesus Delany, you can't even give it a chance can you? You're too fucking scared." His voice was nasty and Del tensed in anger.

"Of course I'm fucking scared. I just can't let myself get caught up in emotions and feelings anymore! I can't be like you and cling to whatever or whoever will rub up against me for the night! For fucks sake Stephen, I have to grow up and so should you!"

Del regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. They stared at each other, Stephen's face a mix of hurt and anger.

"Stephen..." She said, apology in her voice.

"You know, fuck you Delany. Fuck you and you're emotional baggage." Stephen snapped, untying his apron with quick, rough motions. "Have fun at fucking work."

Stephen threw the apron on the floor and stormed out of the stock room, Del quickly on his heels.

"Stephen, I'm sorry! I—"

Stephen was out the back door and walking down the back alleyway at a quick pace. The sun had already risen and it was a clear sign it was well passed opening time.

"Stephen! Stephen wait, goddamnit!" Del tried to stop him by grabbing his arm, which he quickly burnished off by slapping her hands. It stung, but Del wouldn't give up.

"Stephen, please! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm just a useless fucking wreck! Please!"

Del was on the verge of crying again, panic on its heels. Stephen didn't say a word as they reached his car. Unlocking the door, he got in and slammed the door hard. A moment later, he was gone.

Del stood there staring down the road as his car disappeared around the corner. She felt sick to her stomach. They had never fought like that before. Never with such misplaced anger and certainly never to a point where she thought it would break their friendship.

Stephen had always been there for her, just like her mother had.

Suddenly, the same sickened numb feeling she had felt when she was staring at her mother's coffin, bubbled up and it was all she could do to not throw up on the spot. This was fucking bad. On a new fucking level of bad, of fucking horribly bad proportions.


	24. Pissed/Hurt

Chris was pissed.

Or angry.

Hurt, most definitely.

It was a toss up as to which feeling was making him feel worse really. He was pissed at himself for leaving Del in that stock room. What he should have done, what he had wanted to do was kiss her again. Feel her soft body up against his once more and bring her voice to that almost sinful passionate pitch again.

It had been his intention to kiss her when he pulled her to the back, giving Zach and Stephen a moment to themselves. There was just something about her since the first time he saw her behind the counter, waiting for his coffee, that just drew him in. He wasn't one to act on impulse, but this...this was like some weird cosmic thing that just kept pulling him to her.

Like when she was on the set and spotted her randomly walking. Or when he bumped into her in the alley after his scene was done for the day. Even finding out the autographs they had been suddenly requested to sign and finding out it was for her... It just seemed right somehow.

Chris growled under his breath a little as he paced his hotel room as he thought back over the last few hours.

_He'd rolled over in his sleep, looking for Del and when it dawned on him that she wasn't there he'd woken up with a start. He'd left the bedroom, having enough sense to pull on his shorts, to look for her. It was kind of crazy that he'd ran into Zach down stairs in the kitchen._

_"Hey, have you seen Del?" Chris asked, unable to sound completely laid back as he asked his friend. Seriously, what was it with her and running away from him? It was the worst game of hard to get he'd ever played._

_Zach turned, his robe tied loosely around himself. His hair was just as fucked up as Chris's and the two of them realized they both had gotten what they wanted. In a sense._

_Zach chuckled, crossing his arms. "I'm assuming she's with Stephen, who has disappeared. I think your girlfriend's habit of running is wearing off on him."_

_Chris grinned, "Well, she's not my girlfriend yet."_

_"Man you do have a one track mind." Zach shook his head and pushed himself forward towards the stairs. "I don't know about you, but leaving without even saying goodbye doesn't sit well."_

_"So, you're going after him?" Chris said, surprised. It had been a while since he'd seen Zachary so interested in someone else. Zach turned and raised a brow at him._

_"Don't tell me you don't want to chase down your girl, Pine. You maybe in a sappy haze, but your more fucked than me right now." He gave him a pointed look and Chris grinned broadly._

_"Ha! Says the man who never leaves his bedroom without combing his hair, even at three in the morning."_

_Zach looked slightly startled, running his fingers through his messy hair and gave Chris an indignant look, "Dick."_

_"Why thank you." Chris said, walking over to Zach. "Last one to the car has to knock on the coffee shop door!"_

_Chris took off sprinting like a little kid up the stairs and Zach shook his head as he walked instead._

After Del had pretty much cut him down like that in the stock room, he just didn't know what to do. He understood that she was scared, that was fine. He wasn't, for the first time he actually felt like being with her was not something that he had to think about. She was like air. When he was around her, he felt so comfortable so sure of himself he just went with it. But when she shot him down, saying that love at first sight wasn't real, that had hurt.

He'd suddenly felt like he'd been stabbed. Was it one sided? He didn't think so, but the way she said it suddenly had him second guessing himself. It made him angry that he was suddenly doubting them being together. Fuck she was frustrating as all hell.

Now he was pacing a hotel room that seemed too empty and too quiet. The space just seemed to irritate him and when his phone rang in his pocket he pulled it out. Not bothering to glance at the ID, he answered as calmly as he could.

"Yeah?" So much for not sounding irritated and pissed off. His voice was dripping with it.

"I see things didn't go so well for you." Zachary's voice was calm as he spoke. Chris rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

"She basically said that there was no way we'd ever work out and then said she didn't believe at love at first sight. I think there was something about fairy tales, but I was a bit too pissed off to really take it all in. I...I just decided to leave."

Silence filtered through the phone, Chris barely heard the shower going in the background. "I take it you came out better than me?"

Zach gave a soft noise of approval before speaking, "We still need to talk, but I'm planning on asking him to come to California."

"Don't think you're moving a little too fast there?" Chris shook his head. Del would have probably freaked out on him if he had asked her to do that. He was trying to walk the fine line of not scaring her off and wanting to kidnap her for himself.

"Oh I am." He said matter of factly, "The difference is I'm not going to give up till I get slapped with a restraining order." Zach chuckled, his voice taking on that slightly darker tone that left you wondering if he was really joking or not. Chris chuckled lightly, but it didn't quiet come out amused.

"Yeah. Too bad Del has written us off before we got a chance. I mean, she did have a point, we don't know each other that well. Maybe she's right."

Zach snorted, "Ugh, you and this woman are killing me. Man up, you need to hunt her down and corner her. She's scared? Okay fine. She's had shitty past relationships? We all have. So what if you guys haven't known each other long? Sometimes you gotta leap and look while you're falling."

"Good luck convicting her of that. Besides, I'm out of time. We leave tomorrow morning." Chris sighed and plopped himself down on the bed. He felt drained, exhausted and still pissed. His voice was sounding hurt and he hated it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this upset.

Zachary had grown quiet on the other end of the line, the sound of the shower in the background was sounding louder.

"You know, if this happens to work out, I'm going to take full credit for your relationship." Zach said seriously.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Chris frowned, confused.

"Nothing. Look I gotta go see a man about a shower problem. I'll talk to you later." Zach's voice was filled with mischief and a moment later, there was a startled noise that sounded vaguely like Stephen before the call ended.


	25. Nowhere To Run

In all the bad days Del had ever had, this one was definitely for the books. It was in the top ten of horrible days, and that was saying something. After Stephen left, Del had trudged slowly back to the shop. It had been a gut wrenching walk that made her stomach loose its contents in a nearby trash can.

When she finally got back to the shop Peter, the owner and their boss, was there. She was secretly glad there was nothing left in her stomach as it dropped upon seeing the old, thin man with his worn jeans and bearded face. He was already behind the counter taking orders and handing out coffee like a seasoned pro. His apron didn't have one speck of spilled coffee on it. He merely glanced at her with cool grey eyes and kept working.

Del jumped in, shoving her emotions down as much as possible so she could drown herself in coffee orders. She couldn't manage a smile, but she did manage to sound somewhat normal when calling out names. It was four hours later that the rush finally ended, a new record for them. When the last customer left, Del felt her nerves start to shake. She was a good worker, always on time and never late. Hell she never took time off for any reason, even working through colds. The fact that Peter had been there when she got back did not bode well. Especially since it was after seven when she finally reached the shop.

Peter turned to her, silent as the grave as per his usual. He was an intimidating man of few words, being an ex army vet just made it worse.

"I take it Stephen called you?" Del asked hesitantly.

Peter nodded, "He said he couldn't work today." His voice was thick with age and had a roughness to it, but it wasn't unpleasant.

Del nodded and turned away, busying herself with wiping down the espresso machine. She didn't want to talk to Peter about what had happened, though she knew he needed an explaination. The problem was where to start? The fact that she ended a relationship before it even got off the ground with a famous actor? Or the fact that she hurt her best friend so badly that she didn't know if things would ever be the same again.

Peter watched her for a moment before wiping down the counter, "His new boyfriend seemed nice."

Del stopped and stared in surprise, "You mean Zachary? You talked to him?" She was kind of shocked he sounded so casual about it. She didn't know if Peter knew Stephen was gay, or how he'd react. But it seemed he didn't care at all.

"Yeah, nice kid." Peter said, his voice sounding thoughtful. Del smiled softly, to Peter everyone was a kid. It didn't matter how old you were, if you hadn't been alive what Christ was born you were young. At least that was the vibe he gave off.

Del and Peter worked in silence for a while. A few customers filtered in and left. Del was working on auto pilot. Seriously, after work she was going to have to go over to Stephen's apartment and apologize. She bit her lip, she didn't even know if he'd open the door or not. If Zach was there, he probably wouldn't. Oh fuck, Zach! Chris had probably talked to Zach too...

Fuck... Del quietly groaned, she was definitely the top of everyone's shit list now.

Del's attention was pulled from stocking some to go cups as a commotion was brewing out front of the shop. Peter wasn't paying any attention as he sipped a cup of coffee from an old mug he kept there when he came by. He flipped through a newspaper, completely engrossed in it. Del frowned as she watched out the big glass windows. There was a crap ton of people outside, which was weird.

It wasn't until she saw a familiar face that she felt herself pale. Slowly moving through the crowd with a few security men, Zachary was smiling and signing a few autographs here and there. People had their cameras out and we're taking pictures, despite all his stops he was still making good progress to the door.

"Uh, Peter...?" Del said, she was sweating now. Before there hadn't been a crowd of people when they had showed up before. Oh fuck, was Chris back? She didn't think she could handle it right now. Del ran her hand through her short pity hair nervously as the security detail, three very broad shouldered men stopped at the door. One reached over and opened it and Zach slipped into the shop.

Peter glanced over from his newspaper and then at the clock on the wall behind him.

"You're early." He said, though it didn't seem like it bothered him.

"Sorry Peter, running a little short on time." Zachary said, an apologetic smile on his face. His hair was expertly combed back, wearing a retro looking t-shirt and black slacks. His dark eyes drifted towards Del and she felt herself tense. Zachary smirked at her for a moment as the front door closed behind him.

The two of the security detail stood outside the door, while one walked away. Peter nodded like he understood and walked out from behind the counter. Del blinked as Peter busied himself with locking the door, completely ignoring the crowd of people and cameras snapping pictures with their cell phones and regular cameras. Holy fuck, this was going to end up in the paper again, she just knew it.

"Zach, what are you doing here? C-Chris isn't with you is he?" Del cursed how hoarse her voice sounded and cleared her throat a little. It was obvious Chris wasn't with him, but he'd made a habit of popping up out of no where.

Zach shook his head, "No, he's not."

The way he said it made Del's heart sink, his tone was biting and Del cringed.

They were briefly interrupted by Peter pulling the security blinds down and locking them. The noise of the crowd outside sounded bummed, but it didn't sound like they were leaving anytime soon. Just fucking great, there was no leaving now for hours. Del did not want to talk to him about Chris or Stephen for that matter.

Peter casually came up behind the counter and poured himself another cup of coffee and grabbed his newspaper. Del watched him wide eyed as he seemed completely unfazed by the situation.

Peter turned and looked at Del before saluting Zach with his mug, "Go easy on her, Quinto."

Zach nodded and Peter left the shop out the back door, letting it slam with a definite sound. Del blinked, what the fuck? Now she was alone with Zachary Quinto of all people, who by the look on his face, was pissed. Or at least she thought he was, it was hard to get a read on him.

"Uh, how about a c-cup of coffee?" Damnit, she sounded stupidly nervous. Her voice was shaky too.

Zach nodded and took a seat at one of the small tables as Del poured them each a cup of coffee. A strong columbian blend, Del had a feeling she was going to need it. Despite the up and downs emotionally, it was only a matter of time before she crashed on her face.

After doctoring her coffee with cream and sugar, she took the two cups over to the table. She left Zach's black and he took a small sip as she sat down. He seemed like a black coffee drinker and was glad she guessed right.

They watched each other for a moment and Del found her self fidgeting with the handle of her coffee cup.

"How's Stephen?" Del asked, trying to keep her voice casual. She half expect him to just start yelling at her, but when he took another sip his coffee and didn't say anything, Del frowned.

"Okay, if you're going to call me an idiot can we get it over with? I've had a bad day." Del crossed her arms over her chest, desperately trying to keep her emotions under control. Her words came out tired and irritated though. The lack of sleep was wearing on her.

Zach smirked and rested his arms on the table, one hand around his mug, the other tucked under his upper arm.

"I'm not going to call you an idiot."

"What?" Del blinked and Zach shrugged.

"You're not an idiot." He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Del stared at him her mouth hanging open, she closed it realizing she probably looked dumb.

"O-Kay. Then why are you here? You do realize you being here is going to be all over the news now." She frowned as Zach shrugged.

"Yes, I know. I intended for that to be the case."

Del didn't think it was possible for her eyes to get any wider, "You what?"

"You may not be an idiot, but you do act stupid when you're scared. You tend to run when things get uncomfortable and frankly I'm tired of it. It's affecting my friend and my man. So, we are going to sit here surrounded by fans and press until you pull your head out of your ass."

"What the fuck Zachary?!" Del half yelled, just what the fuck? Who did he think he was? His man? Did he mean Stephen? Del stared in shock.

"Wait, are you and Stephen...together?"

Zach smirked at her, his dark eyes filled with mischief. "Yep. Though I must say, chasing after him isn't my style. I wasn't kidding when I said you were rubbing off on him."

Del had a mixture of emotions, happiness for her friend and yet, sad because she was talking to Zach about it and not her best friend, Stephen. Del felt suddenly numb again, she didn't know if Stephen would talk to her. Maybe he'd leave and go to California with Zach and she'd never get the chance.

Del's face paled as tears welled up a little, Zach watched her a moment before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Don't focus on the wrong thing Delany." He said as Del wiped her eyes.

"What does that mean?" Confused as she wiped her tears off the back of her hand into her jeans.

"It means that if I were you, I wouldn't be too worried about my friend. I'd be more concerned with the man I was about to loose. You can make up with Stephen any time, you've known him forever and he's pretty much forgiven you already. But you're running out of time for Chris."

Del tensed, "It won't work."

"Yeah, I heard your reasoning from Chris and Stephen both. So let me ask you this? Do you know how you feel about him?" Zach's eyes were sharp and Del crossed her arms.

"Look I know you are looking out for him, but I'm not going to answer that. It doesn't matter. He'd be better off without me, I'm nobody."

Zach grinned, borderline wicked. "I formerly invoke the Sprinkles Proclomation."

Del practically choked on her coffee she had taken a quick sip of.

Holy...

Fucking...

Shitballs...


	26. Four Letter Word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, these chapters have just been flowing lately. I won't lie, lack of sleep has a lot to do with it and I hope it makes sense.
> 
> Big thank you to 34firecracker for all your awesome feed back and comments! And another huge thank you for those still reading this little fic and leaving kudos!
> 
> You guys are awesome!
> 
> As always comments are appreciated!

"You can't be fucking serious." Del couldn't keep the panic out of her voice.

"Oh but I am. Tell me, how do you feel about Chris?" Zach's dark eyes watched Del with such intensity she found herself biting her lip. That was the one question Stephen hadn't asked her before. He'd asked her what she thought, not how she felt. They were two different things.

"I..." Del hesitated, she didn't want to admit to anyone including herself how gone she was. All the things she said were true, they were practical and even though she knew it was the right decision to force him away—it still hurt like fucking hell.

"I-I like him. A lot." There, that was true, without admitting the big four letter word.

Zach gave her a pointed look as he sipped his coffee once more.

"Alright. So other than the status difference, money and emotional baggage associated with your ex; what's stopping you from being with him?"

Del frowned, "That's not a fair question, those things are all huge things. I don't want to walk in and see him screwing some woman. I hate to say it, but celebrities tend to fall in love with their co-stars."

Zach nodded, "It's true for some. Chris's parents were both actors."

Del nodded and crossed her arms, "See?"

Zach shrugged, "But his mother became a house wife and his father continued to be a working actor. There were good times and lean times, like every family goes through. His father never cheated on his mother, he cherishes her more than anything. That's the kind of family he grew up in. Chris is an all or nothing kind of guy. He thinks too much, like you actually. Though, you're the first decision he's made that he didn't really think about."

Del frowned, "Okay, but that's just one example. And what does that mean, I'm the one decision he didn't have to think about?"

"It means, in his eyes your solid. You're meant to be there with him. To him, the two of you feel right. You can see it in his eyes when he talks about you. You fit into his life without trying and he doesn't even question it like he does everything else."

Del stared at Zach as he sipped his coffee once more. Did Chris really feel that way about her? About them? Is that why he said he'd come back after the movie was finished? Is that why he sounded so sure?

"So, I'll ask you again, how do you feel about him? All the other bullshit aside, how do you feel?" Zach's voice was serious and Del felt the corner of her eyes sting a little with unshed tears threatening to spill.

"I think...I love him." Del's voice was shaking and the words came out so quietly that she swallowed hard.

"I don't believe in love at first sight. But...since meeting h-him and being around him. It feels right. Like a piece of me has been missing. I think... I love him. B-But I'm scared."

Zach smiled gently at her, his face calm as he spoke, "Loving someone is scary."

Del nodded as tears slipped down her face. She'd said what she couldn't say before and it hurt. It ached deep in her chest, in some ways more painful than loosing her mother. Was she okay, really okay, never seeing Chris again?

No...

No, she wasn't.

Zach smirked slightly as he saw her face change to sudden realization. Del wiped her tears away with the back of her hand again, sniffling slightly.

"So what happens now?"

"Well, now that you've pulled your head out of your ass. The rest is quiet simple." Zach said, standing. "Come on, let's go."

Del stood, forgetting the coffee cups on the table to follow Zach towards the back of the shop. "How do you expect us to get out of here? There's a mob outside thanks to you." She huffed.

Zach chuckled as he reached the back door, looking over his shoulder at her with mischievous eyes. "Such trust issues, Chris has his work cut out for him."

Del scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her tongue out in a classic childish move. Zach stilled for a moment before grinning.

"Nice to see that Stephen rubbed off on you too. There maybe hope for you yet."


	27. Lost & Found

Del grabbed her bag from the stock room, not bothering to take her apron off. She followed Zach out the back door, locking the back door behind them. Turning, she stopped in her tracks to stare at the sight before her.

The alleyway was decent sized for the most part, so having a car waiting in it wasn't that weird. The weird part was all the security that had the back alley locked down at both ends to keep the crowd back. Jesus, there were even more people than there had been in the front. Del felt herself pale as Zach walked over to the car, a car way to fucking nice to be in an alley behind a coffee shop. She didn't know what kind of car it was, but it screamed expensive with its dark tinted windows.

Zach stopped and opened the back door. Turning towards her, he watched her for a moment, a smile tugging on his mouth.

"Well, you going to stand there while they take more pictures or are we going to get out of here?"

Del finally registered that the level of noise was growing louder from the crowd and people had their cell phones out. Blinking, Del bit her lip as she nodded and stumbled forward towards the car. Her legs were practically locked with nerves and Zach helped her get in back before quickly sitting down next to her, shutting the door. Del fidgeted with her bag as she realized the car was moving, the driver in the front seat going cautiously forward while the security men slowly managed to move the crowd back.

It seemed like forever, but it had probably only been a few moments until they pulled out onto the main road. Del let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Good god..." She whispered, her hands were shaking and she gripped her bag in an attempt to make them stop.

Zach chuckled and relaxed down into the back seat, "It's a bit nerve wracking the first few times, you get used to it."

Del frowned and shook her head, "I don't think I could ever get used to that..."

Zach hummed in response, watching Del as she tried to get a handle on herself. After a few minutes she looked at him.

"So where are we going?"

Zach shrugged, "Home of course."

"Home?" Del blinked, "You mean, you're taking me home?"

Zach nodded, his face serious. "Yes. Where else would I take you?"

Del's mouth fell open. She thought he was taking her to see Chris, not to her crappy apartment. She thought she was going to see him, talk to him, figure out where to go from here kind of thing. Not...home!

Before Del could get out a single word the car stopped and Del realized she was staring at the front of her apartment building. She cursed the fact that she lived so close to work.

"Zach, come on! I'm not going home after I admitted that I..." Del swallowed and looked at the driver, who was smart enough to look like he wasn't listening. "...you know. I want to talk to Chris."

Zach looked at her for a moment, his face almost completely unreadable. "Chris left."

Del stared at him, her heart somewhere between her shoes on the floor of the car.

"What?" She whispered.

"He left this morning. He didn't tell me where he was going, just that he had to leave. I'm assuming he is headed back to California." Zach's voice was gentle and Del felt like she was frozen on the spot.

"But I... I thought... You..." Del's lip trembled and she bit it trying to control herself. She's missed her chance, just like Zach said she would.

Both of them grew quiet and Del wiped the few tears away that had squeezed out. This was...seriously the worst day ever. Del took a deep shaky breath and straightened her shoulders before turning to Zach.

"You better take care of him. Chris and Stephen both. If I find out you broke Stephen's heart I'll hunt you down."

Her voice was soft, but carried all the seriousness she could muster as Zach raised a brow at her.

"And when you see Chris, tell him..." She bit her lip, "Tell him, I'm sorry."

Del opened the door and slipped out of the car, slinging her bag on her shoulder as she made her way around the car and into her building. She refused to look back, and once she was inside the tears she had tried so hard to suppress started to slip out again.

The walk up the seven flights of stairs was worse than the walk back to the shop that morning. Chris was gone, Stephen was gone now and probably leaving too. She was left behind all because she was too fucking stupid... To fucking scared.

Del wiped her hand under her eyes, sniffling as she dug into her bag to get her keys. It took her a moment to get her hand to stop shaking so much so she could try to get it in the lock. She missed the first two times, noisily scraping against the lock, metal against metal. The more she tried, the more pissed off and angry she was getting.

Hot tears continued to flow and Del cursed as one of her contacts shifted, stinging her eyes and causing her to drop her keys.

"Goddamnit!"

Picking up her Keyes, Del threw them at the door. Still pissed off, she hit it with her fist, hard. It was satisfying in a way and when she went to hit it again the door suddenly swung inward, causing Del to fall forward.

Del tumbled forward, afraid she'd fall on her face. A surprised squeak escaped her as two warm, strong arms wrapped around her and pulling her into a broad full chest. The familiar masculine scent she didn't realize she missed so much, filling her senses.

"Gotcha." Chris grinned, his blue eyes shinning as Del stared at him completely stupefied through her blurry vision.


	28. One Track Mind

Before she could react, Chris's lips met hers in a warm, tingling rush. His tongue slipped into her mouth and ran along hers hungrily. Del didn't bother to stop the moan that echoed in her mouth, causing Chris moan as well. She felt extremely light headed, but she'd pass out before she'd ever stop kissing him.

Chris pulled them back into her apartment, kicking the door closed with his foot before he had Del pushed up against the closed door. He was careful not to hurt her and never broke their kiss. Del dropped her bag on the floor, bringing her hands up to run her fingers through his hair and grip his shirt along his lower back. Chris groaned deeply as his hands cupped her face, letting his thumbs caress her tear stained cheeks.

The kiss slowed and when Chris finally pulled away they were both panting. Chris grinned a goofy smile as Del laughed, a mixture of emotions making her feel giddy.

"I-I thought you left." Tears started to well up again as she looked at him, thinking she was definitely hallucinating.

"One track mind remember?" He leaned forward and kissed her lips again before wiping her tears away. Del half sobbed, half laughed.

"Yeah, I remember."

Chris smiled, his blue eyes so intent on hers that Del felt her heart start to pound. It didn't hurt, but it felt overwhelming, like she was falling. Like she could fall and it wouldn't matter because Chris would be there. Del opened her mouth to try and tell him, right then and there that she loved him.

She'd thought before, maybe, that she did. But now, she knew she loved him. Without a doubt. It didn't matter to her that they came from different backgrounds, or that he was a famous actor and she just a poor barista. Or that they hadn't known each other that long. All that mattered was that they were together. She wasn't falling in love with him, she already was in love with him.

The stupid fucking words wouldn't leave her mouth though and she tried one more time to talk.

"Chris... I-I... I..."

Chris nodded and kissed her lips gently, his eyes full of understanding. "Shhh. It can wait." He whispered, hands drifting down to her hips. He untied her apron and let it fall to the floor as he kissed her neck and rubbed his hands against her sides. Del's breath hitched as his scruff tickled her collarbone while his lips kissed along her skin.

Del closed her eyes, letting her fingers play in his hair and trace gently down his neck and shoulders. When Chris found a particularly sensitive spot she moaned, shivering as his teeth grazed the nape of her neck.

The former shyness that Del had before was completely gone as she started to pull on his shirt to get it off. He pulled back just enough to let her, exposing his hard lean chest. She kissed along it and wrapped her arms around him as he pushed her back up against the door again.

He kissed her deeply, ravaging her mouth like he couldn't get enough and in a mad scurry both of them were trying to get out of their clothes as fast as possible. There was a lot of laughing and giggling from Del as Chris tugged off her shirt and struggled to get her jeans unbuttoned. His touch was seductive and tickled like hell and Del couldn't help but squirm.

When Chris finally managed to get her jeans off and her panties, he wasted no time in kissing her thick thighs and nibbling along the inside of them. Del moaned loudly through her bit lip as his hands traced up her hips to her belly, rubbing as he went. A moment later she was a hot mess of panting and moans as Chris lapped his tongue against her already wet folds.

He took his time, lifting her leg up onto his shoulder to steady her as he teased her mercilessly with his tongue. He slipped a couple of fingers into her, pumping in and out in quick teasing pleasure. Del couldn't help bit grip his hair as he sucked on her swollen clit, making her half scream from the pleasure as she came. Body trembling as he licked the hot, wet folds.

Something about that sound had Chris growling in want and he stood. Not letting her catch her breath, he pulled his boxers down to expose his hard member. Cupping her ass with his hands, he easily lifted her up so her back rested against the door and causing Del to let out a surprised noise before he kissed her deeply again.

Instinct took over and Del wrapped her legs around his hips as he guided himself into her soaked wet core. Both of them let out a satisfying noise as he started to thrust into her. Every thrust had Del moaning louder and Chris couldn't seem to get enough of her. Del felt the growing build in her lower abdomen as Chris increased his thrusts.

Del rolled her hips to meet his, making Chris groan with pleasure as he gripped her ass with his hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck and bit his shoulder as she felt her climax wash over her in a wave as he hit her g-spot, her voice meeting his in loud release.

Chris came as he felt her hot, slick walls tighten around him in her own orgasm. He slowed his thrusts as he came inside her, filling her up completely to spill down her thighs. He wanted to savor this feeling, of him inside her and her part of him. He was never letting her run away again. Especially not now that he knew he loved her and he'd seen the love for him in her green eyes.

Del panted and half moaned against Chris's neck as she felt him come inside her. She should have been freaking out, but in that moment with her wrapped around him and him inside her...

It felt perfect.

And she wouldn't have had it any other way.


	29. I Love You

If Del never understood why her ex had sex all around their apartment, she did now. She had never been very adventurous in bed, but then again maybe that was because of her ex. She was normally shy about being naked, especially with someone who was so clearly more attractive than her. But with Chris he made her feel like the only woman in the world and she found that you could have sex just about anywhere.

The floor.

The couch.

The shower.

The walls.

Even the kitchen counter.

She was sure if she had saved enough money for that kitchen table, they would have had sex on that too. Her favorite place though was the bed. Particularly because when they had laid down after their 'shower', Chris pulled her in close to cuddle. He traced the tips of his fingers up and down her arms as she slowly drifted off to sleep. She was so exhausted, but she didn't want to sleep without talking to him. They hadn't really talked much since he opened the door. Del couldn't help it as her eyes drifted closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 

Chris waited until Del was in a deep sleep, her short black hair still damp from their time in the shower. He may have slipped up the first time in not putting a condom on, but he made sure to not get lost in the moment again after that. Neither one had spoken about it, but they both seemed content to just go with it for the moment.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, he got out of the bed and went back to his boxers and shorts that were on a heap on the floor. He pulled on his boxers and dug through his shorts for his cell phone. After typing in the security code, the phone dinged, showing he had several texts.

The first being from Zachary: **_I'm taking credit for your relationship, just thought I should remind you. Also, don't let your girl read or watch any news for a while (if that's even an option if you're doing what I think you are). Don't forget to change your flight details. See you in California._**

The second was from Stephen, Del's best friend and Zachary's new man: **_U may want to invest in chains to keep her from running. Hurt her = Death. J/k. Or am I? O_O_**

The last one was from his sister, Katherine: _**Hey, call me when you get this. I just saw your little barista on the news.**_

Chris grinned as he turned his phone off. No one needed a response now. They could wait.

Padding back quietly to the bedroom, Chris smiled as he spotted Del curled up in the middle of her small bed. They barely fit on it together, but that didn't stop him from slipping back into it. Del snuggled up against him immediately, her breath tickling his neck as she slipped one of her legs over his. Her warm soft body pressed up against him and he slipped his around around her to hold her.

Just having her so close to him was already making his body crave her. He really was in deep, Zachary had been right about that. Chris hadn't known what to think when Zachary had called him and told him to get his ass over to her apartment. Before he could even get a chance to say no, he hung up and texted him her apartment address. Which must have been Stephen's doing.

Stephen had met him at her apartment, letting him into it and telling him to stay and wait for her. Chris wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but decided to wait. He still had things to say and Zachary was right, he needed to step up and make her at least listen to him.

But when he heard her crying in the hallway almost an hour later, just as he was about to leave and give up, his heart had hammered in his chest at hearing her. He couldn't leave yet, not like this. So when she started to pound on the door out of whatever hell Zachary and Stephen had obviously put her through; he opened the door.

And there she was, in his arms. He hadn't hesitated to kiss her and when she immediately kissed him back it was...

Fucking hell...

It was better than any other thing that had happened to him. The look in her eyes when they started to talk made him panic. He didn't want her to say it, fearing that she was forcing herself, but more than that he wanted to say it first. He hadn't intended on them having sex, but it was like he just couldn't get enough of her. The taste of her and the sound of her voice, not to mention the faint smell of coffee that mixed with her natural scent...

Holy shit...

Zachary was never going to let him live this down.

Chris kissed the top of Del's head as she began to snore softly in her sleep, his body urging him to caress her bare back with his finger tips. She breathed a shuttering breath from the soft touch and Chris smiled.

"I love you." He whispered into her black, damp hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats on making it to the last chapter! Thank you SO much for reading, leaving comments, kudos and bookmarking! 
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll do a part two or not, but any feed back is great!
> 
> If you happen to be interest you can check out some of my other works. 
> 
> Thank you again! ^_^ You guys are great!


	30. Author's Notes

Seriously, thank you so much for reading this little fic! It means the world to me, truly. I am putting in this little side note for those who haven't realized I've made this into a series. So please check it out and let me know what you think!

 

 

You guys are great!

^_^


End file.
